Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) has received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $545.6667.

DDS has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Dillard’s from $465.00 to $468.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Dillard’s from $496.00 to $519.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Dillard’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Dillard’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th.

Dillard’s Price Performance

Dillard’s stock opened at $621.44 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 3.03. Dillard’s has a one year low of $503.06 and a one year high of $741.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $571.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $586.68. The company has a market cap of $9.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 1.14.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $6.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by $1.96. Dillard’s had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 31.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Dillard’s will post 36.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is 2.75%.

Insider Activity at Dillard’s

In related news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.18, for a total value of $243,672.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,183,177. This represents a 3.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 34.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dillard’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of Dillard’s in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Dillard’s by 108.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 48 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Dillard’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Dillard’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Dillard’s by 790.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.