Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC Has $72,000 Holdings in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 953 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $72,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DG. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 85.7% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 58,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,683,000 after acquiring an additional 26,813 shares during the last quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,650,000. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Dollar General by 231.6% in the 3rd quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 37,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,168,000 after acquiring an additional 26,165 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Dollar General by 62.9% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 166,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,087,000 after acquiring an additional 64,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kiltearn Partners LLP acquired a new position in Dollar General during the second quarter valued at approximately $9,587,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dollar General Stock Performance

Dollar General stock traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $71.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,668,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,621,642. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $76.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.37. Dollar General Co. has a 1-year low of $70.15 and a 1-year high of $168.07. The company has a market cap of $15.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.44. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.08). Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.85% and a net margin of 3.33%. The company had revenue of $10.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Dollar General Co. will post 5.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 7th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.88%.

Insider Transactions at Dollar General

In related news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total value of $367,065.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,575 shares in the company, valued at $1,206,128. This trade represents a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total transaction of $451,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 120,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,056,636.94. This trade represents a 4.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on DG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Dollar General from $122.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Dollar General from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. HSBC decreased their price objective on Dollar General from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.18.

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.