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

Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-three brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $98.27.

A number of brokerages recently commented on DG. Citigroup lowered shares of Dollar General from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $91.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Friday, September 27th. HSBC dropped their price target on Dollar General from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Dollar General from $122.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Dollar General from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Dollar General Stock Performance

DG opened at $74.67 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.30, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. Dollar General has a 52-week low of $72.12 and a 52-week high of $168.07. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $77.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.23.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its 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 analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Dollar General will post 5.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total transaction of $367,065.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,575 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total value of $451,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 120,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,056,636.94. The trade was a 4.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DG. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 85.7% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 58,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,683,000 after purchasing an additional 26,813 shares during the last quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. bought a new stake in Dollar General during the third quarter valued at $5,650,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 231.6% during the third quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 37,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,168,000 after purchasing an additional 26,165 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Dollar General by 62.9% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 166,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,087,000 after purchasing an additional 64,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kiltearn Partners LLP purchased a new position in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,587,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.