EP Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases New Shares in Dollar General Corporation $DG

Key Points

• EP Wealth Advisors LLC has acquired a new stake in Dollar General Corporation, investing approximately $480,000 for 5,457 shares in the first quarter.
• Dollar General recently reported earnings per share of $1.86 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.30, and generated revenue of $10.73 billion.
• The company declared a $0.59 quarterly dividend for investors of record on October 7th, representing an annualized yield of 2.2% and a payout ratio of 43.70%.

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 5,457 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $480,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DG. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in Dollar General by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,460 shares of the company's stock worth $717,000 after buying an additional 2,213 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Dollar General by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 107,306 shares of the company's stock worth $8,137,000 after buying an additional 16,453 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Dollar General by 211.3% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 115,527 shares of the company's stock worth $8,759,000 after buying an additional 78,415 shares during the period. Crestline Management LP acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the fourth quarter worth $604,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Dollar General by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,038,377 shares of the company's stock worth $78,730,000 after buying an additional 152,429 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dollar General Price Performance

DG stock traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $104.32. 2,557,185 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,056,586. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.32. Dollar General Corporation has a one year low of $66.43 and a one year high of $117.95. The company has a market cap of $22.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 7th will be given a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 7th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

In related news, 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 value of $222,497.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,563 shares in the company, valued at $5,261,619. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.56% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DG. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Dollar General in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Bank of America raised their price target on Dollar General from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Dollar General from $122.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Gordon Haskett raised Dollar General from a "reduce" rating to an "accumulate" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Dollar General from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the company from $115.00 to $116.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.92.

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.