Bernstein Bank Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Stock Price

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) had its price target cut by research analysts at Bernstein Bank from $98.00 to $94.00 in a report released on Friday. Bernstein Bank’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 23.88% from the stock’s current price.

DG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Dollar General from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 price objective for the company. Melius Research started coverage on Dollar General in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James cut their price target on Dollar General from $150.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Dollar General from $118.00 to $95.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dollar General presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.45.

Dollar General Price Performance

NYSE DG opened at $75.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $16.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.45. Dollar General has a 1 year low of $73.51 and a 1 year high of $168.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.38.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

In related news, Director Warren F. Bryant purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $80.83 per share, with a total value of $80,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 42,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,397,284.90. This trade represents a 2.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.25, for a total transaction of $208,957.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $762,819.75. This trade represents a 21.50 % decrease in their position. 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 hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Dollar General by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Pullen Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 4.3% in the second quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Dollar General by 30.6% in the second quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its holdings in Dollar General by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 2,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 1,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $220,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

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.