Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 5.7% during mid-day trading on Friday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $84.26 and last traded at $84.11. Approximately 1,492,081 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average daily volume of 3,261,711 shares. The stock had previously closed at $79.60.The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.65%.
A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DG shares. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Dollar General from $155.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 30th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Dollar General from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Dollar General from $97.00 to $82.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Citigroup lowered Dollar General from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $91.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Friday, September 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $98.91.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on DG
The company has a market capitalization of $18.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.
Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $10.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 3.57%. The business's revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Dollar General Co. will post 5.85 EPS for the current year.
In related news, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Warren F. Bryant acquired 1,000 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $80.83 per share, with a total value of $80,830.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 42,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,397,284.90. The trade was a 2.44 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Dollar General by 117.7% in the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% of the company's stock.
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.
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