Renaissance Technologies LLC Makes New $55.99 Million Investment in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 423,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,986,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.19% of Dollar General at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DG. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Dollar General by 162.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,185,887 shares of the company's stock worth $2,472,372,000 after acquiring an additional 11,257,537 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,071,820 shares of the company's stock worth $3,408,514,000 after purchasing an additional 3,360,413 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 4th quarter worth about $337,150,000. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Dollar General by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,676,538 shares of the company's stock worth $2,539,026,000 after purchasing an additional 2,273,119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Dollar General in the first quarter valued at approximately $301,738,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on DG shares. Argus cut their price target on shares of Dollar General from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 15th. Barclays cut their price target on Dollar General from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Dollar General from $155.00 to $108.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Dollar General from $169.00 to $122.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Dollar General from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $100.00 in a report on Friday, August 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Dollar General has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $113.95.

Dollar General Price Performance

NYSE DG traded up $0.85 on Wednesday, reaching $86.86. The company had a trading volume of 3,489,652 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,978,447. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. Dollar General Co. has a 12 month low of $77.96 and a 12 month high of $168.07. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $110.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.79.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Dollar General had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The firm had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Dollar General Co. will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 8th. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

In other news, Director Warren F. Bryant acquired 500 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Warren F. Bryant bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $80.40 per share, for a total transaction of $40,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 41,030 shares in the company, valued at $3,298,812. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Warren F. Bryant acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $80.83 per share, for a total transaction of $80,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 42,030 shares in the company, valued at $3,397,284.90. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Dollar General 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.