Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Free Report) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $88.00 to $95.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on DG. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Dollar General from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim increased their price target on Dollar General from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Dollar General from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Dollar General from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Dollar General from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dollar General presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.04.

Dollar General Stock Up 1.8%

NYSE:DG traded up $2.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $113.83. The stock had a trading volume of 4,534,325 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,070,761. The business's 50 day moving average is $93.85 and its 200 day moving average is $82.03. Dollar General has a fifty-two week low of $66.43 and a fifty-two week high of $135.46. The stock has a market cap of $25.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.15.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.32. Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.85% and a net margin of 3.33%. The firm had revenue of $10.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.65 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Dollar General will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current 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 $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 8th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 809 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.72, for a total value of $76,628.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 48,532 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,596,951.04. This trade represents a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.56% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Dollar General during the fourth quarter valued at $399,433,000. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 8,426.1% during the fourth quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 4,041,471 shares of the company's stock valued at $306,424,000 after acquiring an additional 3,994,070 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Dollar General during the fourth quarter valued at $140,421,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 323.1% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,354,135 shares of the company's stock valued at $178,491,000 after acquiring an additional 1,797,776 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 5,440.2% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,582,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,554,004 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.