09:02 AM EDT, 03/12/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Dollar General ( DG ) reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results on Thursday, although the discount retailer's full-year same-store sales growth is forecast to slow on an annual basis.

The company anticipates same-store sales to grow in a range of about 2.2% to 2.7% for fiscal 2026, compared with the current consensus on FactSet for a gain of 2.5%. In the previous fiscal year, the metric rose 3%.

Shares of the retailer fell 5.2% in the most recent premarket activity.

Per-share earnings are projected to come in at around $7.10 to $7.35 for the ongoing fiscal year, while sales are forecast to increase by 3.7% to 4.2%. The Street is looking for EPS of $7.25 and sales of $44.41 billion. In fiscal 2025, EPS jumped 34% year over year to $6.85, while sales advanced 5.2%.

The company reiterated its plans to execute about 4,730 real estate projects in the current full year, including opening 450 new stores in the US.

Dollar General ( DG ) reported net income of $1.93 a share for the quarter ended Jan. 30, up from $0.87 the year before, topping the average analyst estimate of $1.66. Sales improved 5.9% to $10.91 billion, ahead of the Street's view for $10.81 billion.

Same-store sales inclined 4.3%, above the 3.5% rise modeled by the market, buoyed by gains of 2.6% and 1.7% in customer traffic and average transaction amount, respectively. Same-store sales grew in each of the consumables, seasonal, home products and apparel categories, according to the company.

"Our fourth-quarter performance was highlighted by a 4.3% increase in same-store sales and continued advancement of our key initiatives, which contributed to strong operating margin expansion and EPS growth that well exceeded our expectations," Chief Executive Todd Vasos said in a statement. "Overall, this momentum reflects the progress we've made with our strategy."

Gross profit as a percentage of sales rose by 105 basis points year over year to 30.4% in the quarter, boosted mainly by lower shrink, higher inventory markups and lower inventory damages, Dollar General ( DG ) said.

Dollar General ( DG ) has benefited from stronger sales growth among higher-income consumers, though that group showed a notable slowdown in February, Truist Securities said in a note. The brokerage has a hold rating on the stock with a $144 price target.