Dollar General (DG) reported third-quarter earnings of $1.42 per share on Thursday, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $1.38 by 2.9%. This is an 8.4% increase over earnings of $1.31 per share from the same period last year.

The company reported quarterly sales of $6.991 billion, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $6.92 billion by 1.03%. This is an 8.94%increase over sales of $6.417 billion the same period last year.

Dollar General raised its full-year guidance

"We are pleased with another quarter of strong performance across the business," said CEO Todd Vasos. "The quarter was highlighted by our best customer traffic and same-store sales increases in nearly five years, as well as double-digit growth in both operating profit and diluted EPS. We continue to execute well on many fronts while maintaining our focus on delivering value and convenience for our customers."

Dollar General's stock traded up 3% at $158.06 in Thursday's pre-market session. The stock has a 52-week high of $166.98 and a 52-week low of $98.08.