Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund reduced its stake in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 8.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,511 shares of the company’s stock after selling 574 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Dollar General by 117.7% during 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. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on DG shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Dollar General from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Dollar General from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $169.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Dollar General from $97.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price on Dollar General from $130.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dollar General presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.00.

Dollar General Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DG opened at $77.09 on Tuesday. Dollar General Co. has a one year low of $73.51 and a one year high of $168.07. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $81.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $109.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $16.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.45.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.37 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 3.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Dollar General Co. will post 5.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 8th were issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 8th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total transaction of $174,186.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $250,187.42. This represents a 41.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Warren F. Bryant bought 500 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $80.40 per share, with a total value of $40,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 41,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,298,812. The trade was a 1.23 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

About Dollar General

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.