Dollar Tree Q4 Profit Beats View - Quick Facts

(RTTNews.com) - Discount stores operator Dollar Tree Inc. ( DLTR ) posted higher fourth-quarter net income of $228.6 million, or $1.01 per share, compared with last year's $187.9 million, or $0.80 per share. On average, 24 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings per share of $0.99 for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude one-time items.

The company clocked net sales of $2.25 billion in the recent quarter, up 15.4% from $1.95 billion in the 2011 fourth quarter, while it beat consensus estimates of $2.23 billion. The company said these results include a fourteenth week, commensurate with the 53-week retail calendar, which accounted for $125 million in sales and $0.08 earnings per share for both the fourth quarter and fiscal 2012. Comparable-store sales went up 2.4%, on top of a 7.3% growth a year back.

Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2013, sales are likely to be in the range of $1.84 billion - $1.89 billion, based on low single-digit positive comparable-store sales and 6.8% square footage growth. Earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $0.53 - $0.58, while analysts estimate first-quarter earnings of $0.58 per share on $1.87 billion revenue.

For the full year, the company sees sales between $7.79 billion and $7.97 billion. This estimate is based on low single-digit positive comparable-store sales, and square footage growth of some 7.3% for the year. Fiscal 2013 earnings per share are projected to be in the range of $2.54 - $2.74. Analysts project full-year earnings of $2.81 per share, on sales of $7.90 billion.

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