Dollar General Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:DG)

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 30,969 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 31% compared to the average volume of 23,569 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total transaction of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,887 shares in the company, valued at $250,187.42. The trade was a 41.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Warren F. Bryant acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 42,030 shares in the company, valued at $3,397,284.90. The trade was a 2.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Dollar General by 117.7% during the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the second quarter valued at $37,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Dollar General Price Performance

NYSE DG opened at $81.59 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $79.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. Dollar General has a 12-month low of $72.12 and a 12-month high of $168.07.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $10.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Dollar General will post 5.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 7th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Dollar General’s payout ratio is currently 38.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Dollar General from $122.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Melius Research started coverage on Dollar General in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on Dollar General from $130.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.27.

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.