Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Downgraded to "Neutral" Rating by The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Free Report) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $116.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $115.00.

DG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Bank of America increased their target price on Dollar General from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Dollar General from $85.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Dollar General from $101.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Dollar General currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $109.08.

Dollar General Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of DG stock traded down $1.58 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $113.37. 4,589,922 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,109,592. The company's 50-day moving average price is $99.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.34. The company has a market cap of $24.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Dollar General has a 12 month low of $66.43 and a 12 month high of $135.46.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $1.78 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 business had revenue of $10.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. Dollar General's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Dollar General will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 8th. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio is 45.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Dollar General news, EVP Kathleen A. Reardon sold 6,438 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.56, for a total value of $718,223.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 41,646 shares in the company, valued at $4,646,027.76. This represents a 13.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 1,969 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 46,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,261,619. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,216 shares of company stock worth $1,017,349. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DG. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Dollar General in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Providence First Trust Co bought a new stake in Dollar General in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Dollar General during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Dollar General by 126.4% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 498 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company's stock.

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.