Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG – Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-four analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $143.60.
A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Dollar General from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 8th. HSBC raised Dollar General from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $102.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, October 13th. Oppenheimer lowered Dollar General from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 31st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Dollar General from $175.00 to $135.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Dollar General from $165.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 1st.
Insider Activity at Dollar General
In related news, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $106.25 per share, for a total transaction of $212,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,290,137.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in shares of Dollar General by 70.5% in the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the third quarter worth about $26,000. First Manhattan Co. increased its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 447.4% in the fourth quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Freedom LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. 90.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Dollar General Trading Up 1.6 %
DG opened at $132.21 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.02 billion, a PE ratio of 15.21, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $123.14 and a 200-day moving average of $139.27. Dollar General has a 52 week low of $101.09 and a 52 week high of $251.00.
Dollar General (NYSE:DG – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 7th. The company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $9.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.64 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 4.91%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.33 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Dollar General will post 7.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Dollar General Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 8th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.16%.
About Dollar General
Dollar General Corporation, a discount retailer, provides various merchandise products in the southern, southwestern, midwestern, and eastern United States. It offers consumable products, including paper and cleaning products, such as paper towels, bath tissues, paper dinnerware, trash and storage bags, disinfectants, and laundry products; packaged food comprising cereals, pasta, canned soups, fruits and vegetables, condiments, spices, sugar, and flour; and perishables that include milk, eggs, bread, refrigerated and frozen food, beer, and wine.