Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Stock Price Down 3.4% – Time to Sell?

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)’s stock price traded down 3.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $73.12 and last traded at $73.38. 318,906 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 3,280,715 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Dollar General from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Dollar General from $122.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Bernstein Bank decreased their price objective on Dollar General from $98.00 to $94.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Dollar General from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dollar General presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.27.

Dollar General Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $16.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.15.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $10.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 5.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. Dollar General’s payout ratio is presently 38.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total transaction of $367,065.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,206,128. This represents a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Dollar General by 30.6% in the second quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.