Short Interest in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Grows By 10.1%

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,210,000 shares, an increase of 10.1% from the October 31st total of 6,550,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 5,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days. Approximately 3.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Dollar General from $145.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock. Daiwa America cut shares of Dollar General from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Dollar General from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Dollar General from $101.00 to $97.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Dollar General currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.41.

Dollar General Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE DG traded up $0.48 on Monday, reaching $77.75. The company had a trading volume of 3,651,704 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,223,358. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $80.16 and a 200-day moving average of $105.53. Dollar General has a 1 year low of $72.12 and a 1 year high of $168.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.37 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Dollar General will post 5.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In other news, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.25, for a total value of $208,957.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $762,819.75. This represents a 21.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven R. Deckard sold 2,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total value of $174,186.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,887 shares in the company, valued at $250,187.42. This trade represents a 41.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dollar General

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in Dollar General in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Studio Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Dollar General by 117.7% in the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Dollar General in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Dollar General

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.