Citigroup Downgrades Dollar General (NYSE:DG) to Sell

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) was downgraded by research analysts at Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $73.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $91.00. Citigroup’s price target indicates a potential downside of 16.40% from the stock’s current price.

DG has been the subject of several other reports. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $150.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Dollar General from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Dollar General from $147.00 to $141.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Dollar General from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.48.

Dollar General Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:DG opened at $87.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $19.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $104.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.57. Dollar General has a 12 month low of $77.96 and a 12 month high of $168.07.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Dollar General had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 3.57%. The firm had revenue of $10.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Dollar General will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total value of $174,186.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,887 shares in the company, valued at $250,187.42. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.25, for a total transaction of $208,957.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $762,819.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total value of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $250,187.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Burkett Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

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.