Empirical Finance LLC Purchases 72,073 Shares of Dollar Tree, Inc. $DLTR

Key Points

• Empirical Finance significantly increased its Dollar Tree stake by purchasing 72,073 shares, raising its holdings 983.9% to 79,398 shares valued at approximately $9.46 million. Institutional investors collectively own 97.4% of the company.
• Dollar Tree reported quarterly earnings of $2.70 per share, well above the $1.15 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $4.89 billion, up 7% year over year. The company also authorized a $2.5 billion share repurchase program covering up to 10.7% of outstanding shares.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with an overall “Hold” rating and average price target of $131.68. Shares recently traded at $124.04, while two company insiders disclosed stock sales.

Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR - Free Report) by 983.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 79,398 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 72,073 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC's holdings in Dollar Tree were worth $9,455,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DLTR. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Dollar Tree by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,420 shares of the company's stock worth $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc grew its stake in Dollar Tree by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 6,000 shares of the company's stock worth $738,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Dollar Tree by 60.9% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 222 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Dollar Tree by 27.6% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 393 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in Dollar Tree by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,208 shares of the company's stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 97.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar Tree

In related news, Director Stephanie Stahl sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.47, for a total transaction of $155,791.95. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $537,580.83. This represents a 22.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert Aflatooni sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.01, for a total transaction of $315,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 24,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,127,568.20. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 7.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on DLTR shares. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Dollar Tree from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Dollar Tree from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $131.00 price target on shares of Dollar Tree in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Dollar Tree from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of Dollar Tree from $88.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Dollar Tree currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $131.68.

Dollar Tree Stock Performance

Shares of DLTR traded down $7.38 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $124.04. 2,847,861 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,218,561. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $127.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.85. Dollar Tree, Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.71 and a 12-month high of $142.40.

Dollar Tree (NASDAQ:DLTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 27th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $4.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. Dollar Tree had a net margin of 8.03% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.77 earnings per share. Dollar Tree has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.950 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.700-8.050 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Dollar Tree, Inc. will post 7.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar Tree declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, July 2nd that authorizes the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree, Inc is a North American discount retailer that operates a portfolio of value-oriented store banners, primarily Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. The company's stores offer a broad assortment of everyday items at low price points, including household essentials, food and snacks, health and beauty products, cleaning supplies, seasonal and party goods, home décor, and basic apparel. Dollar Tree's merchandising strategy emphasizes high-turnover branded and private-label merchandise tailored to budget-conscious consumers, with Family Dollar complementing the chain by offering a wider range of price points and assortment depth in smaller-format neighborhood locations.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia, Dollar Tree has grown through both organic store openings and acquisitions.

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