On March 21, Dollar General (NYSE:DG) released full-year 2005 earnings for the period ended Feb. 3, 2006.

  • Overall sales rose 12% on a 2% increase in same-store sales and an additional week.
  • Increased markdowns and higher transportation expenses reduced gross margins.

(Figures in thousands, except per-share data)

Income Statement Highlights

Avg. Est.

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

% Change

Sales

$8,560,000

$8,582,237

$7,660,927

12.0

Net Profit

--

$350,155

$344,190

1.7

EPS

$1.12

$1.08

$1.04

3.8



Get back to basics with a look at the income statement.

Margin Checkup

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

Change

Gross Margin

28.72%

29.54%

(0.82)

Op. Margin

6.55%

7.27%

(0.72)

Net Margin

4.08%

4.49%

(0.41)



Margins are the earnings engine. See how they work.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Assets

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

% Change

Cash+ ST Invest.

$209,459

$275,755

(24)

Inventory

$1,474,414

$1,376,537

7.1

Accounts Rec.

No Data

No Data

No Data



Liabilities

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

% Change

Long-Term Obligations

$269,962

$258,462

4.4

Accounts Pay.

$508,386

$409,327

24.2



Cash Flow Highlights

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

% Change

Cash From Ops

$555,485

$391,515

41.9

Capital Expend.

$284,112

$288,294

(1.5)

Free Cash Flow

$271,373

$103,221

162.9



Find out why Fools always follow the money.

Related Companies:

  • Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT)
  • Dollar Tree (NASDAQ:DLTR)
  • Family Dollar (NYSE:FDO)
  • 99 Cents Only (NYSE:NDN)
  • Target (NYSE:TGT)

Family Dollar is aMotley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation, and Dollar Tree is anInside Valuepick. You can see why with a free trial of either newsletter.

Fool by Numbers is designed to give you the raw earnings information in a timely fashion, putting all the numbers you need in one easy-to-read place. But at The Motley Fool, we believe numbers tell only part of the story, so checkFool.comfor more of our in-depth discussion of what the numbers mean.

At the time of publication, Seth Jayson had no positions in any company mentioned. Fool rules are here.