DG 10-K Analysis: Dollar General's Hidden Tax Cliff and the Limits of Shrink Recovery
Dollar General reported a 107-basis-point gross margin recovery in its FY2025 10-K — but the filing's custom XBRL disclosure reveals that 75% came from inventory shrink reduction, a one-time operational fix with a calculable ceiling. Meanwhile, the WOTC tax credit expiration creates a $0.29-$0.46 EPS headwind that $69M in interest savings from $1.65B in debt paydowns can only partially offset. With ROIIC at -137% and the stock at 20.9x earnings, the filing shows a bridge year — not the steady-state compounder the multiple implies.