Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $74.73 and last traded at $74.81, with a volume of 620006 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $76.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Dollar General from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup downgraded shares of Dollar General from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $91.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Dollar General from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $155.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.05.

Dollar General Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $16.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $82.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

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

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 8th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. 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 Dollar General stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were 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 directly owns 9,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $762,819.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.25, for a total value 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. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total transaction of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $250,187.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Dollar General by 3.5% in the first quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Pullen Investment Management LLC increased its position in Dollar General by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its position in Dollar General by 30.6% during 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 during the period. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

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.