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

Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $108.11.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DG. Citigroup cut Dollar General from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $91.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Daiwa America cut shares of Dollar General from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Dollar General from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $169.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 30th.

Dollar General Stock Performance

Shares of DG stock opened at $81.86 on Friday. Dollar General has a 52 week low of $77.96 and a 52 week high of $168.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.00 billion, a PE ratio of 11.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $94.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.60.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). Dollar General had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The company had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Dollar General’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Dollar General will post 5.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 8th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.35%.

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In other Dollar General news, Director Warren F. Bryant bought 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $80.40 per share, for a total transaction of $40,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 41,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,298,812. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $250,187.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Warren F. Bryant acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $80.40 per share, with a total value of $40,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 41,030 shares in the company, valued at $3,298,812. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dollar General

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Dollar General by 85.7% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 58,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,683,000 after purchasing an additional 26,813 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Dollar General by 278.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 64,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,086,000 after buying an additional 47,534 shares in the last quarter. Kiltearn Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter worth $9,587,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC lifted its position in shares of Dollar General by 642.0% in the second quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC now owns 15,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,105,000 after acquiring an additional 13,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC boosted its stake in shares of Dollar General by 32.3% during the third quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 281,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,789,000 after acquiring an additional 68,645 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

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.