Metis Global Partners LLC Lowers Stake in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Metis Global Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,083 shares of the company’s stock after selling 617 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $1,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Dollar General by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,711,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,297,067,000 after buying an additional 3,457,393 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 98.1% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,106,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,884,000 after acquiring an additional 1,043,141 shares in the last quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA increased its stake in shares of Dollar General by 283.1% during the third quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 927,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,077,000 after acquiring an additional 685,000 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Dollar General by 78.6% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,426,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,904,000 after purchasing an additional 627,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equity Investment Corp lifted its position in Dollar General by 744.8% in the third quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 638,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,574,000 after purchasing an additional 563,095 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Dollar General from $147.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Dollar General from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. StockNews.com raised Dollar General from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Dollar General from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up previously from $127.00) on shares of Dollar General in a report on Friday, March 15th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $153.08.

Insider Transactions at Dollar General

In other news, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.72, for a total value of $468,561.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.72, for a total value of $468,561.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,636,371.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Dollar General Stock Down 1.7 %

DG opened at $137.53 on Thursday. Dollar General Co. has a one year low of $101.09 and a one year high of $221.50. The company has a market cap of $30.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s fifty day moving average is $149.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.09. Dollar General had a return on equity of 26.13% and a net margin of 4.29%. The company had revenue of $9.86 billion during 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 for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Dollar General Co. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th were issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.22%.

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.