Gotham Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Dillard’s, Inc. $DDS

Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) by 52.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,519 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,991 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.43% of Dillard’s worth $40,875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DDS. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its position in shares of Dillard’s by 756.9% during the third quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 70,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,554,000 after purchasing an additional 62,608 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Dillard’s in the third quarter worth about $31,813,000. Man Group plc lifted its position in shares of Dillard’s by 464.3% in the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 38,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,846,000 after buying an additional 31,929 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Dillard’s by 75.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 66,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,687,000 after buying an additional 28,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Dillard’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $10,238,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

Dillard’s Price Performance

Shares of DDS stock opened at $581.86 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $636.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $624.63. Dillard’s, Inc. has a 52-week low of $282.24 and a 52-week high of $741.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 2.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 1.30.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $13.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.98 by $3.07. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 8.81%.Dillard’s’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $13.48 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 33.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Dillard’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is 3.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research cut Dillard’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Dillard’s from $184.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on shares of Dillard’s from $700.00 to $650.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Dillard’s from $524.00 to $449.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Dillard’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dillard’s presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $519.67.

Dillard’s Company Profile

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.