Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Dollar General (NYSE:DG) Stock

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) had its target price raised by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $160.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price indicates a potential upside of 5.21% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Dollar General from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Dollar General from $112.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $117.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $113.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Dollar General from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $139.46.

Dollar General Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of DG stock traded up $1.13 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $152.08. The company had a trading volume of 926,499 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,388,102. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $33.48 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.26. The company’s fifty day moving average is $123.62 and its 200 day moving average is $113.08. Dollar General has a fifty-two week low of $66.43 and a fifty-two week high of $154.75.

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

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In other news, CAO Anita C. Elliott sold 2,516 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.52, for a total value of $333,420.32. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rhonda Taylor sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was 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 a total of 58,673 shares of company stock valued at $7,713,389 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dollar General

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Dollar General in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Dollar General during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. purchased a new position in Dollar General in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Dollar General Company Profile

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.