Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Makes New Investment in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV acquired a new stake in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 5,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $698,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DG. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 3,457,393 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Dollar General in the fourth quarter valued at $337,150,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Dollar General by 98.1% during 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 during the period. Baupost Group LLC MA increased its stake in 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 last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 627,844 shares during the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dollar General Stock Up 4.4 %

NYSE DG traded up $6.11 on Monday, hitting $145.23. 2,230,000 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,292,260. The company has a market capitalization of $31.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $146.72 and a 200 day moving average of $139.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Dollar General Co. has a twelve month low of $101.09 and a twelve month high of $206.26.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 14th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.09. Dollar General had a return on equity of 26.13% and a net margin of 4.29%. The firm had revenue of $9.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Dollar General Co. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th were issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 8th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on DG shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Dollar General from $130.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $147.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Dollar General from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Dollar General from $158.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Dollar General from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $153.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.23, for a total value of $958,617.07. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 28,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,636,371.17. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Dollar General news, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The shares were 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 owns 3,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.23, for a total value of $958,617.07. Following 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. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

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.