Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Upgraded to Buy at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Dollar General (NYSE:DG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $170.00 price objective on the stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Dollar General from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Dollar General from $113.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Dollar General from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Dollar General from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $127.00 to $151.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and fifteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.62.

Dollar General Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Dollar General stock opened at $144.08 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Dollar General has a twelve month low of $66.43 and a twelve month high of $146.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.72 billion, a PE ratio of 24.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.26. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $119.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.12.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $10.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.60 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.59% and a net margin of 3.03%.The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. Dollar General has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Dollar General will post 5.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is 40.76%.

Insider Activity

In other Dollar General news, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 19,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.01, for a total transaction of $2,530,103.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,700,059.79. This trade represents a 30.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,282 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.35, for a total transaction of $304,304.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,815,001.80. This represents a 5.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 58,673 shares of company stock worth $7,713,389. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

About Dollar General

Dollar General Corporation is a U.S.-based variety and discount retailer operating a large network of small-format stores that serve primarily rural and suburban communities. The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DG and is headquartered in the Nashville/Goodlettsville, Tennessee area. Founded in 1939, Dollar General has grown from a regional operation into one of the nation’s prominent low-price retailers focused on convenience and value.

Dollar General’s stores offer a wide assortment of everyday consumables and household goods, including food and beverage items, cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, paper goods, apparel basics, seasonal merchandise and small household items.