Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. Increases Stake in Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG)

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG - Free Report) by 19.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,051 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,431 shares during the quarter. Dollar General comprises about 1.2% of Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Dollar General worth $10,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Studio Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Dollar General by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 989 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC grew its stake in shares of Dollar General by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 28,983 shares of the company's stock worth $2,548,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Dollar General by 39.4% during the 1st quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Dollar General by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,159 shares of the company's stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC grew its stake in shares of Dollar General by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,633 shares of the company's stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Dollar General Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of DG stock traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $112.24. 2,519,946 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,108,943. The firm has a market cap of $24.70 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.31. Dollar General Corporation has a 1 year low of $66.43 and a 1 year high of $135.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $104.91 and a 200 day moving average of $88.25.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $10.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.25 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The company's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.65 EPS. Analysts expect that Dollar General Corporation will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 8th. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Dollar General from $101.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Cfra Research raised shares of Dollar General to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $105.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $109.46.

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.