Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Price Target Raised to $160.00 at Morgan Stanley

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) had its price target increased by Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $160.00 in a research report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on DG. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Dollar General in a report on Monday, December 29th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Dollar General from $135.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Dollar General from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $128.00 to $166.00 in a report on Monday, December 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Dollar General from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised their price objective on Dollar General from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Dollar General has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $139.62.

Dollar General Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE DG opened at $151.66 on Thursday. Dollar General has a 12-month low of $66.43 and a 12-month high of $154.75. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $124.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.26. 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 (NYSE:DG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.33. Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.59% and a net margin of 3.03%.The firm had revenue of $10.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Dollar General has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Dollar General will post 5.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 6th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.76%.

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In related news, CAO Anita C. Elliott sold 2,516 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.52, for a total transaction of $333,420.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 29,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,888,666.88. The trade was a 7.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.35, for a total value of $304,304.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,815,001.80. This represents a 5.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 58,673 shares of company stock worth $7,713,389 in the last quarter. 0.56% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dollar General

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter worth $25,000. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the third quarter worth about $35,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.