Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Purchases 8,388 Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 480,824 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,388 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.22% of Dollar General worth $40,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of DG. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Dollar General by 117.7% in the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

In other Dollar General news, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total value of $174,186.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $250,187.42. This trade represents a 41.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Warren F. Bryant acquired 1,000 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $80.83 per share, for a total transaction of $80,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 42,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,397,284.90. This represents a 2.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Dollar General Stock Performance

NYSE:DG traded down $1.17 on Friday, hitting $75.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,704,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,199,770. Dollar General Co. has a one year low of $73.51 and a one year high of $168.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $81.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

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

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 8th were paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 8th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Dollar General in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Dollar General from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Gordon Haskett raised Dollar General from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lowered Dollar General from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $168.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $104.45.

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.