Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) Shares Sold by Marco Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Marco Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in Dollar General shares by 16.7%, selling 3,740 shares and leaving them with 18,630 shares valued at approximately $1.6 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have modified their positions in Dollar General, with notable increases in holdings from firms like Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services by 74.2% and Ameriprise Financial by 18.1%.
• Dollar General recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.59 per share, yielding 2.23%, with a payout ratio of 45.04% and a consensus earnings forecast of 5.75 EPS for the current year.

Marco Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG - Free Report) by 16.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,630 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,740 shares during the quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC's holdings in Dollar General were worth $1,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 989 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 0.5% in the first quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 28,983 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,548,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 39.4% in the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,519 shares of the company's stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Dollar General by 37.6% in the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 674 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on DG shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Dollar General from $85.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Dollar General in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $120.00 price target on shares of Dollar General in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Dollar General to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.40.

Dollar General Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE:DG traded up $2.89 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $107.79. 2,498,999 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,834,721. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $23.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.31. Dollar General Corporation has a 52-week low of $66.43 and a 52-week high of $126.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.12.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $10.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.65 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Dollar General Corporation will post 5.75 EPS for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 8th were issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 8th. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Dollar General news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 1,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,563 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,261,619. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen A. Reardon sold 6,438 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.56, for a total transaction of $718,223.28. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.