Avondale Partners analyst Mark Montagna says Dollar General is poised to deliver better-than-expected first-quarter profits on June 1 and has raised his earnings per share estimate to 52 cents from 49 cents. Montagna cites a number of industry data points, including competitor Dollar Tree's recent earnings beat and the persistent drop in traffic at Walmart stores. The Street expects Dollar General (Ticker: DG) to post a 50-cent profit next week but Montagna says the Goodlettsville-based company "is capturing higher traffic, average ticket, units per transaction, and increased discretionary purchases."

Analyst Joe Buckley at Bank of America Merrill Lynch has lowered his price target for shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store to $55 from $61 after the Lebanon-based company (Ticker: CBRL) reported its fiscal Q3 numbers and said the next quarter will fall well short of the Street's outlook. Buckley, who's based in New York, also has lowered his fiscal '11 EPS estimates to the midpoint of Cracker Barrel's new guidance.