Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Stock Price Down 3.4% - Time to Sell?

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 3.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $73.12 and last traded at $73.38. Approximately 318,906 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 3,280,715 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.94.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on DG shares. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Dollar General from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Dollar General from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Dollar General from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.27.

Dollar General Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $78.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $16.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $10.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.85% and a net margin of 3.33%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.26 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 7th. Dollar General's payout ratio is presently 38.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Dollar General news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total transaction of $367,065.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,206,128. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dollar General

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Dollar General during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Dollar General during the second quarter worth $37,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is 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.