Criterion Capital Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Criterion Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 26.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,578 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,388 shares during the quarter. Dollar General comprises 1.2% of Criterion Capital Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $1,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the third quarter worth approximately $12,047,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 294.5% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Dollar General by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,071,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,408,514,000 after purchasing an additional 3,360,413 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Dollar General in the fourth quarter worth $18,861,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC boosted its position in Dollar General by 10.5% during the first quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 191,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,932,000 after buying an additional 18,280 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Dollar General Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:DG traded up $1.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $132.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,278,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,456,465. Dollar General Co. has a 12-month low of $101.09 and a 12-month high of $173.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.25, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $135.77 and a 200-day moving average of $139.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.08. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 22.80%. The business had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Dollar General Co. will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 9th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.72, for a total transaction of $468,561.48. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,248 shares in the company, valued at $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related 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 transaction of $958,617.07. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,579 shares in the company, valued at $4,636,371.17. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $505,778.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Dollar General from $147.00 to $141.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 31st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Dollar General from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Dollar General from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Dollar General from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Dollar General from $150.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $148.23.

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.