Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General (NYSE:DG) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Gordon Haskett lowered Dollar General from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, August 30th. Barclays decreased their price target on Dollar General from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Dollar General from $169.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Dollar General from $130.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Daiwa America lowered Dollar General from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.84.

Dollar General Trading Down 0.1 %

DG opened at $81.08 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $17.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.44. Dollar General has a 52 week low of $77.96 and a 52 week high of $168.07. The business’s 50 day moving average is $91.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.37 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 3.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Dollar General will post 5.86 EPS for the current year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 8th were given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 8th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.35%.

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In other news, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total transaction of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $250,187.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Dollar General news, Director Warren F. Bryant bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $80.40 per share, with a total value of $40,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 41,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,298,812. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total value of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $250,187.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dollar General

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter worth $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 117.7% during the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.