greeksoup/ stock research

Dollar Tree, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 3 new, 4 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Comparable sales rose on ticket growth: Net sales rose 7.2% to $5.0 billion. Comparable store net sales rose 3.5%, with average ticket up 4.5% and traffic down 1.0%. Source
  • Operating income and margin rose: Operating income rose 23.2% to $473.3 million. Operating margin was 9.5% against 8.3%, up 120 basis points. Adjusted operating income rose 22.0% to $473.3 million. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose 38%: Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.74, up 38.1% from $1.26. Diluted EPS from continuing operations was $1.76, up 19.7% from $1.47. Source
  • Gross margin rose 120 basis points: Gross margin rose 120 basis points, driven by higher mark-on, lower freight costs and lower shrink. Source
  • SG&A rate rose 50 basis points: SG&A was 27.8% of total revenue, against 27.3%. Higher marketing, general liability and depreciation costs were partly offset by lower payroll costs. Source
  • Operating and free cash flow rose: Operating cash flow from continuing operations was $644.0 million, against $378.5 million. Capital expenditures were $252.5 million and free cash flow $391.5 million, against $129.7 million. Source
  • Q1 buybacks totaled $595 million: The company repurchased 5.5 million shares for $595 million in the quarter. Quarter-to-date second-quarter repurchases totaled $98 million. Source
  • Strategic plan credited with margin gains: Management cited the plan's elements: a more relevant assortment, agile cost management, a stronger customer connection, and new store growth with improved store conditions. It credited them with margin expansion. Source

“Our first quarter results reflect continued progress across the business and demonstrate the strength of Dollar Tree’s position as the preferred destination for value, convenience, and discovery,”

Mike Creedon, Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales from continuing operations Sourcefiscal 2026$20.5 billion to $20.7 billionKept
Comparable store net sales growth Sourcefiscal 20263% to 4%Kept
New store openings Sourcefiscal 2026approximately 400Kept
Store closings Sourcefiscal 202675Kept
Adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations Sourcefiscal 2026$6.70 to $7.10Raised from $6.50 to $6.90
Net sales from continuing operations Sourcesecond quarter of fiscal 2026$4.8 billion to $4.9 billionNew
Comparable store net sales growth Sourcesecond quarter of fiscal 20262.5% to 3.5%New
Adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations Sourcesecond quarter of fiscal 2026$1.00 to $1.15New

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year adjusted diluted EPS range from continuing operations raised to $6.70 to $7.10, from $6.50 to $6.90 in the prior release. Source
  • Guidance kept: Full-year net sales range of $20.5 billion to $20.7 billion and comparable store net sales growth range of 3% to 4% were kept. Source
  • New guidance: Second-quarter guidance for net sales, comparable store net sales growth and adjusted diluted EPS was given for the first time in these documents. Source
  • Ended: The first-quarter guidance from the prior release covered the quarter now reported.

Results and growth drivers

  • Comparable sales rose on ticket growth: Net sales rose 7.2% to $5.0 billion. Comparable store net sales rose 3.5%, with average ticket up 4.5% and traffic down 1.0%. Source
  • Operating income and margin rose: Operating income rose 23.2% to $473.3 million. Operating margin was 9.5% against 8.3%, up 120 basis points. Adjusted operating income rose 22.0% to $473.3 million. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose 38%: Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.74, up 38.1% from $1.26. Diluted EPS from continuing operations was $1.76, up 19.7% from $1.47. Source
  • Insurance gain excluded from adjusted results: A non-operating insurance gain of $5.2 million was excluded from adjusted results, against $61.8 million in the prior-year first quarter. Source

Stores and selling space

  • 113 stores opened, 9,382 in total: The company opened 113 new Dollar Tree stores and recorded 13 closings, ending at 9,382 stores across the U.S. and Canada banners, up from 9,016. Source
  • Sales per square foot rose to $242: Sales per square foot for the 52 weeks was $242, against $235. Selling square footage grew 4.9% to 83.5 million. Source
  • Multi-price stores reached about 5,900: About 630 stores were converted or added to the multi-price format, bringing the total to about 5,900 multi-price stores at quarter end. Source

“We continued advancing our strategic plan - a more relevant assortment, agile cost management, a stronger customer connection, and new store growth coupled with improved store conditions”

Mike Creedon, Chief Executive Officer

Gross margin and pricing

  • Gross margin rose 120 basis points: Gross margin rose 120 basis points, driven by higher mark-on, lower freight costs and lower shrink. Source
  • Tariffs and markdowns partly offset gains: Higher tariff costs and higher markdowns partially offset the gross margin benefits. Source

Costs and selling expense

  • SG&A rate rose 50 basis points: SG&A was 27.8% of total revenue, against 27.3%. Higher marketing, general liability and depreciation costs were partly offset by lower payroll costs. Source
  • Transition services income added $21.1M: Transition services agreement income, net was $21.1 million, or 0.4% of total revenue, for services to Family Dollar after the sale. Adjusted SG&A including it rose 10 basis points. Source
  • Corporate SG&A flat in dollars: Corporate SG&A was $141.8 million, unchanged from a year earlier, at 2.8% of total revenue against 3.1%. Source

“As we celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2026, we are encouraged by the progress we are seeing across the business”

Mike Creedon, Chief Executive Officer

Cash flow and inventory

  • Operating and free cash flow rose: Operating cash flow from continuing operations was $644.0 million, against $378.5 million. Capital expenditures were $252.5 million and free cash flow $391.5 million, against $129.7 million. Source
  • Inventory lower than a year earlier: Merchandise inventories were $2,470.8 million at May 2, 2026, against $2,704.0 million at May 3, 2025, and $2,495.4 million at January 31, 2026. Source
  • Long-term debt rose in the quarter: Long-term debt, net, was $2,932.6 million at May 2, 2026, against $2,431.7 million at January 31, 2026. Source

Share repurchases and capital returns

  • Q1 buybacks totaled $595 million: The company repurchased 5.5 million shares for $595 million in the quarter. Quarter-to-date second-quarter repurchases totaled $98 million. Source
  • $1.3 billion of authorization remaining: $1.3 billion remained under the share repurchase authorization at May 2, 2026. Source

Strategy and investment

  • Strategic plan credited with margin gains: Management cited the plan's elements: a more relevant assortment, agile cost management, a stronger customer connection, and new store growth with improved store conditions. It credited them with margin expansion. Source
  • Investment in stores and customer experience: Management said it remains focused on thoughtful investments in its stores, assortment and customer experience. Source

Coming up, as management said on 28 May 2026

  • Non-GAAP exclusions to continue: The company expects to keep excluding the listed items from non-GAAP measures in future disclosures. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Traffic declined 1.0% in the quarter, with higher average ticket offsetting it in comparable sales. Source
  • External: Higher tariff costs and higher markdowns were named as offsets to the gross margin gain. Source
  • Financial: Higher general liability costs, marketing and depreciation raised the SG&A rate. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said it continued advancing the strategic plan it has previously described. Source
  • Not stated: The company said it has historically excluded these items from non-GAAP financial measures and expects to continue doing so.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.