Brokerages Set Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Price Target at $98.27

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $98.27.

DG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Dollar General from $150.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Dollar General from $97.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised Dollar General from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Dollar General Stock Performance

Shares of DG stock opened at $80.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $17.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.32, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day moving average of $79.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.92. Dollar General has a 52 week low of $72.12 and a 52 week high of $168.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The company had revenue of $10.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Dollar General will post 5.77 EPS for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.88%.

Insider Activity

In other Dollar General news, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.25, for a total value of $208,957.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $762,819.75. The trade was a 21.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total value of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,887 shares in the company, valued at $250,187.42. The trade was a 41.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DG. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Dollar General in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Dollar General by 117.7% in the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in Dollar General in the second quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Dollar General Company Profile

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.