Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Short Interest Update

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 10,900,000 shares, an increase of 19.6% from the December 15th total of 9,110,000 shares. Currently, 5.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 4,140,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on DG. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Dollar General from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Dollar General from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America raised Dollar General from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, HSBC dropped their price target on Dollar General from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Dollar General currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.18.

Dollar General Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DG traded down $0.82 during trading on Friday, reaching $68.44. The stock had a trading volume of 3,380,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,174,597. 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 has a 1-year low of $66.43 and a 1-year high of $168.07. The stock has a market cap of $15.05 billion, a PE ratio of 11.28, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $75.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.59.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.08). Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.85% and a net margin of 3.33%. The business had revenue of $10.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Dollar General will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.88%.

Insider Activity

In other Dollar General news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total value of $367,065.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,575 shares in the company, valued at $1,206,128. This trade represents a 23.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 120,322 shares in the company, valued at $9,056,636.94. This represents a 4.75 % 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Dollar General during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Dollar General by 30.6% during the second quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Dollar General by 37.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Dollar General Company 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.