Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) Shares Purchased by Equity Investment Corp

Equity Investment Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG - Free Report) by 32.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,157,140 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 280,321 shares during the quarter. Dollar General makes up about 2.3% of Equity Investment Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Equity Investment Corp owned approximately 0.53% of Dollar General worth $101,747,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 4.7% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 185,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,302,000 after purchasing an additional 8,311 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 384.3% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 615 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. Banyan Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 52.9% during the first quarter. Banyan Capital Management Inc. now owns 104,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,154,000 after purchasing an additional 36,002 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 98.2% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 17,662 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,553,000 after purchasing an additional 8,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 4.8% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 59,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,268,000 after purchasing an additional 2,754 shares in the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Dollar General Stock Up 0.1%

Dollar General stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $109.39. 845,286 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,111,859. Dollar General Corporation has a 12 month low of $66.43 and a 12 month high of $126.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $24.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $107.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.79.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Dollar General had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The firm had revenue of $10.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Dollar General Corporation 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, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 8th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Dollar General's payout ratio is 45.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 owned 41,646 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,646,027.76. This represents a 13.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 1,969 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer raised shares of Dollar General from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of Dollar General from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Dollar General from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Cfra Research raised shares of Dollar General to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Dollar General in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Dollar General currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.04.

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.