Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Shares Down 5.4% – Here’s Why

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS)’s stock price was down 5.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $632.91 and last traded at $628.0250. Approximately 32,627 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 136,258 shares. The stock had previously closed at $663.63.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on DDS. UBS Group increased their price target on Dillard’s from $184.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Dillard’s from $411.00 to $524.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Dillard’s in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Dillard’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $511.33.

Dillard’s Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $9.45 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $635.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $549.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported $8.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.43 by $1.88. The business had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. Dillard’s had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 30.50%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.73 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 33.25 EPS for the current year.

Dillard’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is 3.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Dillard’s news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $594.60, for a total transaction of $445,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 10,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,094,650. This trade represents a 6.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 34.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Dillard’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Dillard’s by 790.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Dillard’s by 220.7% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Dillard’s by 110.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 139 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dillard’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

About Dillard’s

Dillard’s, Inc (NYSE:DDS), headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a U.S.-based department store chain founded by William T. Dillard in 1938. Over more than eight decades of operation, the company has grown from a single store in Nashville, Arkansas, to a prominent retailer with a national footprint. Dillard’s equity is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DDS.

The company operates approximately 280 departmental stores across 29 states, offering a broad assortment of merchandise that includes men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and home furnishings.