=Dollar General (DG) reported earnings on Thur 14 March 19 (b/o)

Dollar General misses by $0.05, reports revs in-line; Q4 comps +4.0%; guides FY20 EPS below consensus, revs below consensus; sees FY20 comps +2.5%; increases share repurchase program by $1 bln; increases quarterly dividend 10% 

• Reports Q4 (Jan) earnings of $1.84 per share, $0.05 worse than the S&P Capital IQ Consensus of $1.89; revenues rose 8.5% year/year to $6.65 bln vs the $6.61 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.
• Fourth Quarter Same-Store Sales Increased 4.0%. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 31.2% in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to 32.1% in the fourth quarter of 2017.
• On March 13, 2019, the Company's Board of Directors increased the authorization under the share repurchase program by $1.0 billion.  On March 13, 2019, the Company's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.32 per share on the Company's common stock, which is a 10% increase over the prior quarterly dividend.
• Co issues downside guidance for FY20, sees EPS of $6.30-6.50 vs. $6.65 S&P Capital IQ Consensus; sees FY20 revs of +7% to approximately $27.42 bln vs. $27.5 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus. Same-store sales growth of approximately 2.5%. Capital expenditures in the range of $775 million to $825 million, including those related to investments in the Company's strategic initiatives.