Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) Short Interest Update

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,210,000 shares, a growth of 10.1% from the October 31st total of 6,550,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,320,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Dollar General Trading Up 1.2 %

DG traded up $0.98 on Wednesday, reaching $80.00. 3,042,456 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,224,656. Dollar General has a one year low of $72.12 and a one year high of $168.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $17.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Dollar General news, Director Warren F. Bryant purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $80.40 per share, with a total value of $40,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 41,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,298,812. This represents a 1.23 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.25, for a total value of $208,957.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $762,819.75. This trade represents a 21.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Dollar General by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 69,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,517,000 after purchasing an additional 10,333 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 25.4% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 17,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,464,000 after buying an additional 3,504 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 8.3% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 17,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,473,000 after purchasing an additional 1,333 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 21.6% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 9,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 1,598 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on Dollar General from $103.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Gordon Haskett upgraded Dollar General from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Dollar General from $155.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Citigroup downgraded Dollar General from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $91.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Dollar General in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.32.

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.