Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Director Ralph Santana Sells 3,009 Shares

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.72, for a total value of $468,561.48. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $505,778.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Dollar General Stock Performance

DG stock traded down $6.59 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $147.78. 2,479,008 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,405,056. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The business has a 50-day moving average of $148.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.42. Dollar General Co. has a 52 week low of $101.09 and a 52 week high of $222.99.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $9.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 26.13% and a net margin of 4.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Dollar General Co. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comerica Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,047,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Dollar General by 294.5% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,573,000 after buying an additional 14,127 shares in the last quarter. Professional Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in Dollar General by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Professional Advisory Services Inc. now owns 150,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,523,000 after buying an additional 16,899 shares during the period. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,374,000. Finally, Nine27 Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,290,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on DG shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Dollar General from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Dollar General from $147.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Dollar General from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dollar General has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $152.96.

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.