On March 21, Dollar General (NYSE:DG) released Q4 2005 earnings for the period ended Feb. 3, 2006.

  • Overall sales rose 12.9% on a 1.6% decrease in same-store sales.
  • 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

$2,470,000

$2,480,504

$2,197,538

12.9

Net Profit

--

$145,272

$133,893

8.5

EPS

$0.49

$0.46

$0.41

12.2



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

Margin Checkup

Q4 2005

Q4 2004

Change

Gross Margin

29.47%

30.03%

(0.57)

Op. Margin

9.36%

10.03%

(0.66)

Net Margin

5.86%

6.09%

(0.24)



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 afree trialof 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.