Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Hits New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) reached a new 52-week high on Monday after Wolfe Research raised their price target on the stock from $141.00 to $159.00. Wolfe Research currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Dollar General traded as high as $138.46 and last traded at $137.0510, with a volume of 113097 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $137.28.

DG has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Gordon Haskett increased their price target on Dollar General from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Dollar General from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (up previously from $123.00) on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised their target price on Dollar General from $113.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Bryan D. Wheeler sold 9,776 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.32, for a total transaction of $1,322,888.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,016,959.40. This trade represents a 30.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.35, for a total transaction of $304,304.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,815,001.80. The trade was a 5.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 58,673 shares of company stock worth $7,713,389 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Dollar General

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DG. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Dollar General during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Dollar General Stock Down 2.4%

The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $111.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.95. The stock has a market cap of $29.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.27.

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

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.76%.

Dollar General Company Profile

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.