Dollar General Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:DG)

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 30,969 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 31% compared to the typical daily volume of 23,569 call options.

Dollar General Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DG opened at $81.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $17.95 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.26. Dollar General has a fifty-two week low of $72.12 and a fifty-two week high of $168.07.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.08). Dollar General had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 3.57%. The business had revenue of $10.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. Dollar General’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Dollar General will post 5.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Dollar General news, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.25, for a total value of $208,957.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,163 shares in the company, valued at $762,819.75. This trade represents a 21.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the 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 owns 2,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $250,187.42. The trade was a 41.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Studio Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 117.7% during the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 30.6% during the second quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Dollar General during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on DG. HSBC cut their price target on Dollar General from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Dollar General from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup lowered Dollar General from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the company from $91.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Loop Capital cut their price target on Dollar General from $130.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on Dollar General from $94.00 to $83.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.27.

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.