Buckhead Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Buckhead Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 11.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,509 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,411 shares during the quarter. Dollar General makes up 1.6% of Buckhead Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Buckhead Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $4,420,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Dollar General by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,711,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,297,067,000 after buying an additional 3,457,393 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Dollar General by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,346,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,278,000 after buying an additional 62,913 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Dollar General by 98.1% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,106,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,884,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043,141 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,572,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,394,000 after acquiring an additional 481,881 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Dollar General by 78.6% in 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Dollar General Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:DG traded down $1.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $137.58. 2,612,517 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,312,571. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.22 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.42. Dollar General Co. has a 12-month low of $101.09 and a 12-month high of $221.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $150.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.37.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.09. Dollar General had a net margin of 4.29% and a return on equity of 26.13%. The company had revenue of $9.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. Dollar General’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Dollar General news, 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 in the company, valued at $4,636,371.17. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Dollar General 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 transaction of $468,561.48. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,248 shares in the company, valued at $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the firm’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 approximately $4,636,371.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on DG. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Dollar General from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Barclays upgraded Dollar General from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $124.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Dollar General from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Dollar General from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Argus raised their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $153.08.

Dollar General 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.