Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) shares hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $139.83 and last traded at $138.52, with a volume of 714964 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on DG. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Dollar General from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Dollar General from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $166.00 in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Dollar General from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Argus lifted their price objective on Dollar General from $135.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Dollar General from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Dollar General presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.62.

Dollar General Trading Down 1.2%

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 firm has a market cap of $29.90 billion, a PE ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.27. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $114.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.81.

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

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.76%.

Insider Transactions at Dollar General

In other news, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 19,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.01, for a total value of $2,530,103.66. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,700,059.79. The trade was a 30.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Bryan D. Wheeler sold 9,776 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $3,016,959.40. This represents a 30.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 58,673 shares of company stock valued at $7,713,389 over the last quarter. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 416.4% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,525,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,759,000 after acquiring an additional 2,036,573 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Dollar General by 116.0% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,714,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $310,538,000 after purchasing an additional 1,458,093 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 251.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,035,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,983,000 after buying an additional 1,456,549 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter worth about $154,371,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 15,369.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,219,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,450,000 after buying an additional 1,211,298 shares during 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.