OREANDA-NEWS. Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR), North America's leading operator of discount variety stores, today reported results for its first fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2016.

First Quarter Results

Consolidated net sales increased 133.6% to $5.09 billion from $2.18 billion in the prior year's first quarter. The $2.91 billion increase included $2.70 billion in sales from Family Dollar stores, sales from new Dollar Tree stores, and a 2.3% same-store sales increase, on a constant currency basis. Same-store sales, on a constant currency basis, increased 3.4% in the prior-year period. Adjusted for the impact of Canadian currency fluctuations, the same-store sales increase was 2.2%. The positive same-store sales were driven by increases in both customer transactions and average ticket.

Gross profit increased 107.6%, to $1.55 billion in the first quarter compared to $748.9 million in the prior year's first quarter. The $805.7 million increase included $733.8 million of gross profit for Family Dollar, and a 9.6% increase in Dollar Tree's gross profit for the quarter. As a percent of sales, gross margin decreased to 30.6% compared to 34.4% in the prior year. The primary contributors to the decrease were the impact of the overall lower-margin product mix for the Family Dollar business and $6.3 million for Family Dollar related to the amortization of the stepped up inventory basis. Gross margin for the Dollar Tree segment was flat at 34.4% when compared to the prior year's quarter.

Selling, general and administrative expenses were 22.3% of sales compared to 23.7% of sales in the prior year's first quarter. Excluding $10.4 million in acquisition costs from the prior year's period, selling, general and administrative expenses, as a percent of sales, decreased to 22.3% from 23.2%. This 90 basis point improvement resulted from lower payroll, operating and corporate expenses, as a percent of sales, partially offset by higher store repair and maintenance expenses and depreciation.

Operating income increased 79.9% to $418.7 million compared with $232.8 million in the same period last year. This increase is the result of $138.0 million of operating income in the Family Dollar segment and a $47.9 million increase in operating income in the Dollar Tree segment.

The Company's effective tax rate for the quarter was 29.8% compared to 38.6% in the prior year period. The lower effective tax rate was primarily attributable to a one-time benefit related to state tax planning, which contributed $0.09 to earnings per share.

Net income compared to the prior year's first quarter increased $163.2 million to $232.7 million, and diluted earnings per share increased by 188.2% to $0.98. Excluding the one-time tax benefit, diluted earnings per share for the quarter increased to $0.89. Excluding the current quarter one-time tax benefit and acquisition-related costs from the prior year quarter, diluted earnings per share increased 25.4%, to $0.89 from $0.71.

Bob Sasser, Chief Executive Officer, stated, "I am very pleased with the Company's performance in the first quarter. Through what continues to be a challenging economic environment, we delivered sales of $5.09 billion, which was the mid-point of our guidance range, and earnings that exceeded the high end of our guidance range. Additionally, while not included in our comp calculation, our Family Dollar segment delivered its third consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales."

Sasser added, "We have gotten off to a successful start to 2016. We continue to serve a loyal customer base by providing terrific values every day; we remain on schedule with our integration of Family Dollar; we are on track to achieve our stated synergy targets; and we are part of what I consider, in this economic environment, the most attractive sector in retail. Looking ahead, we are committed to growing and improving our Dollar Tree and Family Dollar businesses to better serve more customers, while delivering long-term value to our shareholders."

During the quarter, the Company opened 171 stores, expanded or relocated 66 stores, and closed 19 stores. Additionally, as part of its re-banner initiative, the Company opened three former Family Dollar store locations as new Dollar Tree stores. The Company also converted 126 Deals stores to Dollar Tree stores and converted nine Deals stores to Family Dollar stores. Retail selling square footage at the end of the quarter was approximately 109.6 million square feet.

Company Outlook

The Company estimates consolidated net sales for the second quarter of 2016 to range from $5.03 billion to $5.12 billion, based on a low single-digit increase in same-store sales and year-over-year selling square footage growth of 2.4%. Diluted earnings per share are expected to range from $0.66 to $0.72.

Consolidated net sales for full-year 2016 are now expected to range between $20.79 billion and $21.08 billion compared to the Company's previously expected range of $20.76 billion to $21.11 billion. This estimate is based on a low single-digit increase in same-store sales, and 4.0% square footage growth. The Company now anticipates net income per diluted share for full-year 2016 will range between $3.58 and $3.80. This compares to its previous EPS guidance range of $3.35 to $3.65.

Conference Call Information

On Thursday, May 26, 2016, the Company will host a conference call to discuss its earnings results at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The telephone number for the call is 888-820-9418. A recorded version of the call will be available until midnight Wednesday, June 1, 2016 and may be accessed by dialing 888-203-1112. The passcode is 4775937. A webcast of the call is accessible through Dollar Tree's website, and will remain online until Wednesday, June 1, 2016.