The latest S&P/Case-Shiller report pointed to "renewed strength" in the general economy as helping power home price gains at over twice the rate of inflation . Still, investors are cheering the company's third-quarter results that included surprisingly strong cash generation and profit growth , along with a hefty 13% dividend boost. The overall business took a big hit to profitability - gross margin sunk to 28% of sales from 35% last year - mainly due to the impact of lower-margin Family Dollar products being included in the mix this time.