Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $143.47 and last traded at $144.2140, with a volume of 736943 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $138.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on DG. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Dollar General from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Dollar General from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Dollar General from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Dollar General from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.23.

Dollar General Stock Up 5.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $32.14 billion, a PE ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $117.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.44.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $10.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.60 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 18.59%. Dollar General’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. Dollar General has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.500 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Dollar General Corporation will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be given a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Dollar General’s payout ratio is presently 40.76%.

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In other news, EVP Tracey N. Herrmann sold 12,583 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.07, for a total value of $1,573,755.81. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,870,666.36. The trade was a 28.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bryan D. Wheeler sold 9,776 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.32, for a total value of $1,322,888.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,016,959.40. The trade was a 30.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 58,673 shares of company stock valued at $7,713,389 over the last ninety days. 0.56% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DG. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Dollar General in the first quarter valued at $249,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 298,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,223,000 after acquiring an additional 28,225 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Dollar General by 4.7% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 26,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Dollar General by 12.3% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 10,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 1.1% in the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 27,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,427,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

About Dollar General

Dollar General Corporation is a U.S.-based variety and discount retailer operating a large network of small-format stores that serve primarily rural and suburban communities. The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DG and is headquartered in the Nashville/Goodlettsville, Tennessee area. Founded in 1939, Dollar General has grown from a regional operation into one of the nation’s prominent low-price retailers focused on convenience and value.

Dollar General’s stores offer a wide assortment of everyday consumables and household goods, including food and beverage items, cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, paper goods, apparel basics, seasonal merchandise and small household items.