Michael M. Calbert Sells 6,000 Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Stock

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total transaction of $451,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 120,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,056,636.94. This trade represents a 4.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Dollar General Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DG opened at $74.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s 50-day moving average is $77.24 and its 200 day moving average is $95.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. Dollar General Co. has a fifty-two week low of $72.12 and a fifty-two week high of $168.07.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.08). Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The company had revenue of $10.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 5.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Dollar General by 117.7% during the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter worth $37,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Dollar General by 30.6% in the second 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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 note on Friday, December 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Dollar General in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Dollar General from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Dollar General from $122.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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 given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.27.

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.