Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Stock Price

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by research analysts at Barclays from $102.00 to $100.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Barclays's price target indicates a potential upside of 39.61% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on DG. HSBC reduced their price objective on Dollar General from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Melius Research assumed coverage on Dollar General in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on shares of Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Dollar General from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dollar General currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $98.18.

Dollar General Price Performance

Shares of DG stock traded down $2.54 during trading on Thursday, hitting $71.63. The company had a trading volume of 5,782,211 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,681,010. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44. Dollar General has a one year low of $70.15 and a one year high of $168.07. 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's 50-day moving average price is $76.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.37.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.08). The company 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 for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Dollar General will post 5.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total transaction of $367,065.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,575 shares in the company, valued at $1,206,128. This represents a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total transaction of $451,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 120,322 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,056,636.94. This represents a 4.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

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

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.