Dollar General Corporation $DG Stake Boosted by Empirical Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Empirical Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Dollar General Corporation by 73.0% during the 1st quarter, now holding 17,300 shares valued at approximately $1.5 million.
• Dollar General recently reported $1.86 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and set FY 2025 guidance of 5.800-6.300 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.59 per share, with an annualized yield of 2.2%, set to be paid on October 21st.

Empirical Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG - Free Report) by 73.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,300 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,300 shares during the quarter. Dollar General makes up 1.1% of Empirical Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Empirical Capital Management LLC's holdings in Dollar General were worth $1,521,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in Dollar General by 323.1% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,354,135 shares of the company's stock worth $178,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,797,776 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Dollar General by 5,440.2% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,582,569 shares of the company's stock worth $139,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,554,004 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 251.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,035,524 shares of the company's stock worth $178,983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,456,549 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 398.2% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,756,799 shares of the company's stock worth $133,200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,404,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 4.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,433,202 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,324,271,000 after acquiring an additional 1,201,917 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathleen A. Reardon sold 6,438 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.56, for a total value of $718,223.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 41,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,646,027.76. This represents a 13.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 1,969 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $222,497.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,261,619. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Dollar General Stock Performance

NYSE DG opened at $109.25 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $111.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.67. Dollar General Corporation has a 12-month low of $66.43 and a 12-month high of $117.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $24.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.29.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 28th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.30. Dollar General had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 17.97%. The business had revenue of $10.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Dollar General has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.800-6.300 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Dollar General Corporation will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 7th will be given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 7th. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio is 43.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Dollar General from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Dollar General from $101.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Dollar General from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.92.

About Dollar General

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.

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