Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 19,398 Shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its position in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 23.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,977 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,398 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $8,426,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Comerica Bank bought a new position in Dollar General during the third quarter valued at $12,047,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Dollar General by 294.5% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 14,127 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Dollar General during the fourth quarter valued at $18,861,000. Professional Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Dollar General by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Professional Advisory Services Inc. now owns 150,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,523,000 after purchasing an additional 16,899 shares during the period. Finally, Live Oak Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Dollar General in the third quarter worth $1,374,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.23, for a total transaction of $958,617.07. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,636,371.17. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the business’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 transaction, the director now owns 3,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,778.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Dollar General from $158.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Dollar General from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Dollar General from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Dollar General from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Dollar General presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $153.08.

Dollar General Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of DG stock opened at $143.21 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $150.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.13. Dollar General Co. has a 12-month low of $101.09 and a 12-month high of $222.99. The firm has a market cap of $31.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.42.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Dollar General Co. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 9th were paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 8th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.