Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $70.89 and last traded at $71.19, with a volume of 1203969 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $74.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Gordon Haskett upgraded Dollar General from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Dollar General from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Dollar General from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.27.

Dollar General Trading Down 4.5 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.03 and a 200 day moving average of $94.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44.

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

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.88%.

Insider Transactions at Dollar General

In other Dollar General news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total value of $367,065.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,206,128. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $9,056,636.94. This represents a 4.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Studio Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 117.7% in the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the second quarter valued at $46,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 30.6% during the 2nd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Dollar General Company Profile

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.