Equity Investment Corp Increases Position in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Equity Investment Corp boosted its position in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Free Report) by 60.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 951,329 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 359,757 shares during the period. Dollar General comprises approximately 1.9% of Equity Investment Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Equity Investment Corp owned 0.43% of Dollar General worth $80,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DG. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Dollar General by 45.6% during the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 644,140 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,475,000 after buying an additional 201,692 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Dollar General by 0.3% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 652,600 shares of the company's stock worth $55,190,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares in the last quarter. AM Squared Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 33.3% in the third quarter. AM Squared Ltd now owns 1,600 shares of the company's stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Sather Financial Group Inc grew its position in shares of Dollar General by 78.5% in the third quarter. Sather Financial Group Inc now owns 490,168 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,454,000 after purchasing an additional 215,507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Dollar General by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 33,403 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 6,645 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Dollar General Trading Up 1.6 %

Dollar General stock traded up $1.21 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $77.09. The company had a trading volume of 3,250,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,200,010. The firm has a market cap of $16.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.45. Dollar General Co. has a 12-month low of $73.51 and a 12-month high of $168.07. 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 50-day moving average price of $81.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.57.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.37 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 5.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Dollar General from $97.00 to $82.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Dollar General from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Dollar General from $130.00 to $90.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 30th. HSBC dropped their price objective on Dollar General from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Dollar General from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $104.00.

Insider Activity

In other Dollar General news, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.25, for a total transaction of $208,957.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $762,819.75. This represents a 21.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total value of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $250,187.42. The trade was a 41.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

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.