Franklin Resources Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR) by 78.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,706 shares of the company’s stock after selling 76,030 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Dollar Tree were worth $1,383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DLTR. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Dollar Tree by 193.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 20,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,416,000 after buying an additional 13,263 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Dollar Tree by 37.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 10,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 2,745 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Dollar Tree by 738.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 629 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in shares of Dollar Tree by 59.1% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 42,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,004,000 after acquiring an additional 15,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Dollar Tree by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 13,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 1,644 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.40% of the company’s stock.

Dollar Tree Price Performance

DLTR opened at $75.99 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.92. Dollar Tree, Inc. has a 52-week low of $60.49 and a 52-week high of $151.21.

Dollar Tree (NASDAQ:DLTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.05. Dollar Tree had a negative net margin of 3.34% and a positive return on equity of 16.89%. The company had revenue of $7.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Dollar Tree, Inc. will post 5.39 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on DLTR shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Dollar Tree from $130.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Dollar Tree in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Dollar Tree from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Dollar Tree from $130.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Dollar Tree from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Dollar Tree presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.58.

Dollar Tree Profile

Dollar Tree, Inc operates retail discount stores. The company operates in two segments, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. The Dollar Tree segment offers merchandise at the fixed price of $ 1.25. It provides consumable merchandise, which includes everyday consumables, such as household paper and chemicals, food, candy, health, personal care products, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise comprising toys, durable housewares, gifts, stationery, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, arts and crafts supplies, and other items; and seasonal goods that include Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Valentine's Day merchandise.