Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Receives $98.27 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $98.27.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Dollar General from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Dollar General from $122.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Citigroup lowered Dollar General from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $91.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Dollar General from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $95.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 target price on the stock.

Dollar General Stock Performance

Shares of Dollar General stock opened at $74.67 on Wednesday. Dollar General has a 12 month low of $72.12 and a 12 month high of $168.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.43.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $10.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The company’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.26 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Dollar General will post 5.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.88%.

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In other Dollar General news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total transaction of $367,065.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,206,128. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total value of $451,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 120,322 shares in the company, valued at $9,056,636.94. This trade represents a 4.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Dollar General by 117.7% during the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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 second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Dollar General by 30.6% during the second quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during 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.