Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Sells 4,046 Shares of Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund trimmed its position in Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) by 38.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,388 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,046 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Dollar General were worth $562,000 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 the company. Absher Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Dollar General by 17.5% in the first quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,449,000 after purchasing an additional 4,146 shares during the period. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY grew its stake in Dollar General by 62.3% in the first quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY now owns 131,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,589,000 after purchasing an additional 50,584 shares during the period. TT Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the first quarter worth $238,000. Praxis Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Dollar General in the first quarter worth $265,000. Finally, Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its stake in Dollar General by 21.9% in the first quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 3,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Dollar General Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:DG opened at $113.37 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.64, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $100.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.54. Dollar General Corporation has a 52-week low of $66.43 and a 52-week high of $135.46.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $10.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.25 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 2.81%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Dollar General Corporation will post 5.75 EPS for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 8th will be given a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 8th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Dollar General’s payout ratio is 45.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathleen A. Reardon sold 6,438 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.56, for a total value of $718,223.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 41,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,646,027.76. This trade represents a 13.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 809 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.72, for a total value of $76,628.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 48,532 shares in the company, valued at $4,596,951.04. This trade represents a 1.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,216 shares of company stock valued at $1,017,349. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on DG shares. Melius Research raised Dollar General from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Dollar General from $80.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on Dollar General from $101.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Dollar General from $105.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Dollar General from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.08.

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.