JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Price Target to $161.00

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Free Report) had its price objective raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $158.00 to $161.00 in a research note published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Truist Financial upped their target price on Dollar General from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Dollar General from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Oppenheimer reissued a market perform rating on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Argus increased their price objective on Dollar General from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Dollar General from $130.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $153.08.

Dollar General Price Performance

NYSE DG traded down $3.09 on Monday, reaching $144.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,065,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,400,341. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.78 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.42. Dollar General has a 12 month low of $101.09 and a 12 month high of $222.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $148.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.15.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.09. Dollar General had a return on equity of 26.13% and a net margin of 4.29%. The firm had revenue of $9.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Dollar General will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 8th. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.22%.

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In other Dollar General news, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.23, for a total value of $958,617.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,579 shares in the company, valued at $4,636,371.17. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.72, for a total transaction of $468,561.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.23, for a total value of $958,617.07. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,636,371.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DG. Comerica Bank acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $12,047,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Dollar General by 294.5% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,924 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,573,000 after buying an additional 14,127 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 4th quarter worth about $18,861,000. Professional Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in Dollar General by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Professional Advisory Services Inc. now owns 150,960 shares of the company's stock worth $20,523,000 after purchasing an additional 16,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the third quarter valued at $1,374,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.