The Goldman Sachs Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Stock Price

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $104.00 to $93.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 29.34% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein began 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Dollar General from $97.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Dollar General from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Dollar General from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Dollar General from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $96.77.

Dollar General Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DG opened at $71.91 on Thursday. Dollar General has a 52 week low of $66.43 and a 52 week high of $168.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.85, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $10.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. Dollar General’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Dollar General will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

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 value of $367,065.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,575 shares in the company, valued at $1,206,128. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total transaction of $451,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 120,322 shares in the company, valued at $9,056,636.94. This represents a 4.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 37.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 792 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. 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.