Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-one analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $107.84.

DG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Melius Research started coverage on Dollar General in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Daiwa America downgraded Dollar General from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Raymond James decreased their target price on Dollar General from $150.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Dollar General from $130.00 to $97.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 30th.

Dollar General Stock Performance

DG opened at $81.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.22. Dollar General has a 52-week low of $77.96 and a 52-week high of $168.07. The firm has a market cap of $17.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s fifty day moving average is $91.94 and its 200-day moving average is $118.45.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.37 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 3.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Dollar General will post 5.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th were issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 8th. Dollar General’s payout ratio is presently 34.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

In related news, Director Warren F. Bryant acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $80.83 per share, with a total value of $80,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 42,030 shares in the company, valued at $3,397,284.90. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total value of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $250,187.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Warren F. Bryant acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $80.83 per share, for a total transaction of $80,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 42,030 shares in the company, valued at $3,397,284.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its stake in Dollar General by 104.9% in the first quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Dollar General during the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Dollar General by 117.7% during the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.