Dollar General Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:DG)

Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 217,411 call options on the company. This is an increase of 2,440% compared to the average volume of 8,558 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on DG shares. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Dollar General from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Dollar General from $141.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Dollar General from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Dollar General from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.23.

Dollar General Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of DG stock traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $138.68. The stock had a trading volume of 2,542,816 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,007,394. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $116.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.26. Dollar General has a 12-month low of $66.43 and a 12-month high of $139.83.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $10.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.60 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.59% and a net margin of 3.03%.The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. Dollar General has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.500 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Dollar General will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 6th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

In related news, CAO Anita C. Elliott sold 2,516 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.52, for a total transaction of $333,420.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 29,344 shares in the company, valued at $3,888,666.88. This represents a 7.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Rhonda Taylor sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.89, for a total transaction of $1,011,675.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 73,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,913,335.88. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 58,673 shares of company stock worth $7,713,389 over the last quarter. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in DG. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in Dollar General during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. acquired a new position in shares of Dollar General in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Dollar General

Dollar General Corporation is a U.S.-based variety and discount retailer operating a large network of small-format stores that serve primarily rural and suburban communities. The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DG and is headquartered in the Nashville/Goodlettsville, Tennessee area. Founded in 1939, Dollar General has grown from a regional operation into one of the nation’s prominent low-price retailers focused on convenience and value.

Dollar General’s stores offer a wide assortment of everyday consumables and household goods, including food and beverage items, cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, paper goods, apparel basics, seasonal merchandise and small household items.