Dollar General Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:DG)

Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 34,256 call options on the company. This is an increase of 66% compared to the average daily volume of 20,660 call options.

Dollar General Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DG traded up $2.59 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $90.19. 4,948,616 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,684,163. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $76.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.88. Dollar General has a 52-week low of $66.43 and a 52-week high of $164.12. The company has a market cap of $19.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.44.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.17. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The business had revenue of $10.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Dollar General will post 5.75 EPS for the current year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 8th will be given a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. Dollar General’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Dollar General from $97.00 to $95.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (down from $90.00) on shares of Dollar General in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Dollar General from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Dollar General from $108.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Gordon Haskett lowered shares of Dollar General from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $92.26.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Dollar General by 112.9% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 5,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 2,861 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 14.3% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $812,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 387.7% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 32,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,783,000 after buying an additional 26,164 shares during the last quarter. PDT Partners LLC acquired a new position in Dollar General during the third quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its stake in Dollar General by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 53,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,558,000 after acquiring an additional 8,600 shares in the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.