Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $155.00 and last traded at $152.8110, with a volume of 130622 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DG has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Dollar General from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Dollar General from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Dollar General from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $168.00 target price on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $144.44.

Dollar General Trading Down 3.1%

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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $142.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.76, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.24.

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

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 6th were issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 6th. Dollar General’s payout ratio is presently 40.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

In related news, EVP Bryan D. Wheeler sold 9,776 shares of Dollar General 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 owned 22,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,016,959.40. This trade represents a 30.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tracey N. Herrmann sold 4,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.39, for a total transaction of $637,241.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 26,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,429,016.22. This represents a 15.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 58,673 shares of company stock valued at $7,713,389 over the last 90 days. 0.56% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dollar General

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DG. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 182,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,179,000 after buying an additional 2,956 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the 4th quarter worth about $2,078,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Dollar General during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 2,876.6% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 673,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,451,000 after purchasing an additional 651,096 shares during the period. Finally, &PARTNERS lifted its position in shares of Dollar General by 45.9% in the fourth quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 46,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,149,000 after purchasing an additional 14,577 shares in the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.