Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,295,926 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 95,081 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.59% of Dollar General worth $176,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 120.6% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after acquiring an additional 4,384 shares in the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in Dollar General during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Sheets Smith Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General in the fourth quarter worth $216,000. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the fourth quarter worth $356,000. Finally, Royal Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the fourth quarter valued at $2,150,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dollar General Stock Performance

NYSE:DG opened at $140.86 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $149.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.15. Dollar General Co. has a fifty-two week low of $101.09 and a fifty-two week high of $221.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.09. Dollar General had a net margin of 4.29% and a return on equity of 26.13%. The firm had revenue of $9.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 9th were paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 8th. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI lowered 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. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $147.00 target price (up previously from $127.00) on shares of Dollar General in a report on Friday, March 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $130.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Dollar General from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $153.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dollar General

In other Dollar General news, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $505,778.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Carman R. Wenkoff sold 5,909 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ralph Santana sold 3,009 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.72, for a total value of $468,561.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,248 shares in the company, valued at $505,778.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.