11:14 AM EDT, 03/12/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Ollie's Bargain Outlet (OLLI) projected profit and sales growth for fiscal 2026 as it aims to open additional stores, while the discount retailer reported improved fourth-quarter results year over year on Thursday.

The company expects adjusted per-share earnings of $4.40 to $4.50 for the current fiscal year, while analysts in a FactSet survey are looking for $4.48. Net sales are projected at $2.99 billion to $3.01 billion, compared with the consensus of $3 billion.

For the year that ended in January, Ollie's adjusted EPS rose to $3.86 from $3.28 a year earlier, while sales jumped nearly 17% to $2.65 billion.

"Combining 10% unit growth, 2% comp growth and a commitment of stepping up share repurchases, we are confident in delivering consistent mid-teens EPS growth, while reinvesting back into the business to support profitable long-term growth and reach our target of 1,300 stores," Chief Executive Eric van der Valk said during an earnings call, according to a FactSet transcript.

Ollie's plans to open 75 new stores this year, on top of record 86 openings in the previous year.

The company plans to benefit from disruptions caused by tariffs, Chief Financial Officer Robert Helm told analysts. "The tariff situation obviously remains very fluid and the current lower levels could be temporary," Helm said.

For the just-ended quarter, adjusted EPS rose to $1.39 from $1.19 a year earlier, in line with Wall Street's estimates. Sales jumped nearly 17% to $779.3 million, below the consensus of $783.5 million. Comparable sales grew 3.6%, accelerating from the prior-year quarter's growth of 2.8% and topping analysts' view for a 3.3% rise.

"Our comp sales increase was above our expectations in the quarter, even more so when factoring in the impact of severe winter weather," Helm said on the call. "Major storms around Black Friday weekend and weekend of Ollie's Army Night and the end of January caused a significant number of store closures and disruptions to the business."

Ollie's shares were up 5% in Thursday trade. The stock is down 1% so far this year.

"There has been some concerns around the strength/durability of sales trends as they start to lap the closures of Big Lots stores, but we expect those orphaned shoppers will now be part of Ollie's ecosystem," Truist Securities analysts said in note. "Overall, we remain buyers of (Ollie's) given its 'deep value' focus, strong unit growth, the capture of incremental sales from competitive closures, and increasingly favorable deal flow."

Ollie's has acquired some of the former Big Lots stores following the rival's bankruptcy in 2024.

"Our growth and the continued consolidation of the retail sector is leading to more buying power and expanding our access to products," van der Valk said. "This gives us the ability to balance our value proposition with our margin profile and strengthen both over time."

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