Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning.

DDS has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Dillard’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard’s Price Performance

NYSE:DDS opened at $363.45 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $458.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $414.61. The stock has a market cap of $5.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 0.88. Dillard’s has a 52 week low of $328.00 and a 52 week high of $510.00.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.84 by $3.64. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 32.13% and a net margin of 9.55%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $15.44 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Dillard’s will post 33.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Dillard’s

In other Dillard’s news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total transaction of $130,035.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $505,836.15. The trade was a 20.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Dillard’s by 177.3% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Dillard’s during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. US Bancorp DE increased 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 acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $70,000. 67.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.