Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 493,632 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 12,808 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.22% of Dollar General worth $37,427,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Dollar General in the third quarter worth $33,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Dollar General in the third quarter worth $57,000. Studio Investment Management LLC increased its position in Dollar General by 200.4% in the third quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 850 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in Dollar General by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 953 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Peoples Bank KS boosted its stake in Dollar General by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Peoples Bank KS now owns 1,435 shares of the company's stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company's stock.

Dollar General Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of DG traded down $0.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $72.57. 2,809,082 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,254,984. Dollar General Co. has a 1-year low of $66.43 and a 1-year high of $168.07. 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 has a market capitalization of $15.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $73.71 and a 200 day moving average of $84.55.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.08). Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The company had revenue of $10.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Dollar General Co. will post 5.75 EPS for the current year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th were issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 7th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total value of $367,065.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,206,128. This represents a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total transaction of $451,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 120,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,056,636.94. This trade 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 corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on DG shares. HSBC dropped their price objective 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. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $97.00 to $82.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Dollar General from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $95.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $96.77.

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.