2026년 2월 28일 · Unknown · financial · 출처 Yahoo Finance
Investing.com -- Dollar Tree was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citi on Friday, which said the stock’s sharp rebound has left limited upside despite solid operational progress.
Citi analyst Paul Lejuez wrote that while the company is “showing signs of success in its multi-price strategy,” the shares have doubled off their low following the U.S. administration’s April 2025 tariff announcement.
Citi said the stock is now trading within 3% of its $132 target price, creating what it described as a “balanced risk/reward.”
The firm expects a strong fourth-quarter report on March 16, forecasting earnings of $2.63 per share versus the consensus of $2.53, driven by same-store sales of 6% and gross margin expansion of roughly 150 basis points.
Citi also expects the retailer to issue fiscal 2026 earnings guidance of $6.50 to $7.00 per share, bracketing the consensus of $6.70.
Lejuez noted that management had previously signaled high-teen EPS growth for 2026 at its October investor day. However, he believes “the market expects $7+ in EPS,” with the firm modeling $7.45.
Foot-traffic trends have softened, with Citi’s tracker showing a slowdown to 1.1% growth in the fourth quarter from 2.2% in the prior period. Still, Citi’s credit-card data indicates dollar-store spending rose 9.1% in the quarter.
Overall, Citi stated that the setup into the fourth-quarter print is “slightly favorable,” but maintained that the next 12 months present a more evenly balanced outlook.
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