Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,182 shares of the company’s stock after selling 345 shares during the quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $241,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DG. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the third quarter worth about $33,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Dollar General by 200.4% during the third quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 850 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its position in Dollar General by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Peoples Bank KS increased its holdings in Dollar General by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Peoples Bank KS now owns 1,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dollar General Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE:DG opened at $72.51 on Friday. Dollar General Co. has a 52 week low of $66.43 and a 52 week high of $168.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $74.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.43.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $10.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The business’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Dollar General Co. will post 5.75 EPS for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th were paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 7th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael M. Calbert sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total value of $451,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 120,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,056,636.94. This trade represents a 4.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 4,740 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.44, for a total transaction of $367,065.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,206,128. The trade was a 23.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. HSBC dropped their target price on Dollar General from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Gordon Haskett downgraded Dollar General from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Dollar General from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Dollar General from $102.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.77.

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.