Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings cut Dillard’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Dillard’s from $460.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Dillard’s currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $521.33.

Dillard’s Price Performance

Shares of DDS stock opened at $589.61 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 1.15. Dillard’s has a 12 month low of $449.64 and a 12 month high of $741.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $565.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $591.93.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $16.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.13 by $5.91. Dillard’s had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 31.43%. The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $10.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Dillard’s will post 35.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Dillard’s

In other Dillard’s news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.18, for a total value of $243,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 10,150 shares in the company, valued at $6,183,177. This represents a 3.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 34.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dillard’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,289,000 after buying an additional 2,575 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth $36,598,000. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 27.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 67,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,167,000 after acquiring an additional 14,718 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth $1,423,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Dillard’s in the 4th quarter valued at $2,466,000. 67.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.