Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Shares Down 2.3% – What’s Next?

Shares of Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) dropped 2.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $355.70 and last traded at $354.21. Approximately 41,991 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 137,229 shares. The stock had previously closed at $362.71.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on DDS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Dillard’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard’s Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.19 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $446.79 and its 200-day moving average is $415.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.84 by $3.64. Dillard’s had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 32.13%. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $15.44 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 33.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. Dillard’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2.71%.

Insider Transactions at Dillard’s

In other news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total value of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,836.15. This represents a 20.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 33.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dillard’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DDS. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in Dillard’s by 61.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 229.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 18,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,002,000 after buying an additional 12,704 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Dillard’s by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,095,000 after buying an additional 1,521 shares during the period. LMR Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Dillard’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,796,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Dillard’s in the third quarter valued at $384,000. Institutional investors own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

Dillard’s Company Profile

Dillard’s, Inc engages in the retail of fashion apparel, cosmetics, and home furnishings, and other consumer goods. It operates through the Retail Operations and Construction segments. The Retail Operations segment comprises sells cosmetics, ladies’ apparel, ladies’ accessories and lingerie, juniors’ and children’s apparel, men’s apparel and accessories, shoes, and home and furniture products.