Sentry Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Sentry Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,154 shares of the company’s stock after selling 124 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DG. Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,047,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Dollar General by 294.5% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 14,127 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Dollar General during the fourth quarter valued at $18,861,000. Professional Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Dollar General by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Professional Advisory Services Inc. now owns 150,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,523,000 after buying an additional 16,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,374,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on DG. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Barclays upgraded Dollar General from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $124.00 to $154.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Dollar General from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $127.00) on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $153.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.72, for a total transaction of $468,561.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.23, for a total transaction of $958,617.07. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 28,579 shares in the company, valued at $4,636,371.17. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.72, for a total transaction of $468,561.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $505,778.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Dollar General Price Performance

NYSE DG opened at $144.47 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $31.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $149.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $133.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.19. Dollar General Co. has a 52-week low of $101.09 and a 52-week high of $222.99.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $9.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 26.13% and a net margin of 4.29%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 8th. Dollar General’s payout ratio is 31.22%.

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.