Values First Advisors Inc. Buys Shares of 6,336 Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,336 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $480,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Dollar General in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Dollar General by 200.4% in the 3rd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 850 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 567 shares during the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Dollar General

In related news, 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 directly owns 120,322 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,056,636.94. This represents a 4.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 directly owns 15,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,206,128. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Dollar General Stock Performance

NYSE: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. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $73.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.30. Dollar General Co. has a one year low of $66.43 and a one 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 firm has a market cap of $15.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.43.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $10.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.26 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Dollar General Co. will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DG has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Dollar General from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Dollar General from $104.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Dollar General from $100.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Dollar General from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Bernstein Bank decreased their price target on Dollar General from $98.00 to $94.00 in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $96.77.

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.