Wasatch Advisors LP Makes New Investment in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Wasatch Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 27,080 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,053,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DG. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Providence First Trust Co acquired a new position in Dollar General in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in Dollar General by 279.8% during the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 490 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dollar General Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of Dollar General stock traded down $2.28 on Wednesday, reaching $94.51. 1,482,880 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,882,012. The firm's 50-day moving average is $83.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.63. The company has a market capitalization of $20.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. Dollar General Co. has a 52 week low of $66.43 and a 52 week high of $147.87.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.17. Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.85% and a net margin of 3.33%. The business had revenue of $10.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.26 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.83 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Dollar General Co. will post 5.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 8th were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 8th. Dollar General's payout ratio is 46.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 809 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.72, for a total value of $76,628.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 48,532 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,596,951.04. The trade was a 1.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DG shares. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Dollar General from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and set a $80.00 target price (down from $90.00) on shares of Dollar General in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Melius Research raised Dollar General from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Dollar General from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $101.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $94.75.

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.