Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Reaches New 52-Week Low - What's Next?

Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DG. HSBC decreased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Melius Research initiated coverage on Dollar General in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Dollar General in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Dollar General from $94.00 to $83.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Dollar General presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $98.27.

Dollar General Trading Down 3.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company's fifty day moving average price is $77.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.69. The firm has a market cap of $15.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. Dollar General's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.26 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 5.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 7th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Dollar General's payout ratio is currently 38.88%.

Insider Transactions at Dollar General

In other news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total transaction of $367,065.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total transaction of $451,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 120,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,056,636.94. The trade was a 4.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DG. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Studio Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Dollar General by 117.7% during the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the second quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Dollar General by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 376 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% 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.