NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) - Get Report , like all sports competitors, has seen its share of setbacks. In late January its shares tumbled after the New York Post reported CEO Edward Stack wasn't interested in selling the company.

But the company is a pure-play sports retail company, and that gives it a winning position in a sector showing no signs of slowing. Overall retail sales were up 3.3% year over year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Within that, sales in the sporting goods category climbed 8% year over year as of January 2015.

The Coraopolis, Pa., company reports fourth-quarter and full-year results Tuesday before the opening bell. Dick's has 600 U.S. stores, generating $6.6 billion annually.

Dick's has value for investors looking for a solid dividend payer. The stock has been one of the best performers in the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) - Get Report , gaining almost 11% year to date compared with the Dow Jones Industrial Average's (DJI)  2% and the S&P 500's (SPX)  2.5% for the same period.

XRT 1 Year Total Returns (Daily) data by YCharts
DKS Revenue (Quarterly YoY Growth) data by YCharts

Dick's shares have a consensus hold rating and an average 12-month price target of $57, implying just 5% upside from Friday's close. So analysts want to hear what the company says Tuesday before going all-in. By then it may be too late for investors to profit, even from the potential 5% gains implied by the $57 price target.

Dick's is growing quarterly revenue at 9% year over year, besting rivals Foot Locker (FL) - Get Report and Finish Line (FINL) . Wal-Mart (WMT) - Get Report ranks as the largest sporting goods retailer with annual revenue of more than $9 billion, according to research firm Statista,  but sporting goods account for only 9% of its sales, according to USAToday.

This leaves Dick's as the leading pure-play sporting goods retailer. As the sporting goods market grows, Dick's stands a better chance of gaining not only more market share, but also higher profits for shareholders since it doesn't have to directly compete with discounted prices from Wal-Mart.

For the quarter than ended January, earnings are expected to climb 10% year over year to $1.22 per share, while revenue is expected to advance 9% year over year to $2.12 billion.

The stock -- based on fiscal 2016 earnings estimates of $3.20 per share -- trades on a discounted forward P/E of 16, so investors should buy now. Dick's forward P/E is almost two points lower than the average S&P 500 stock, according to The Wall Street Journal.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no position in the stocks mentioned.