Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $317.72 and last traded at $321.28, with a volume of 47778 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $364.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on DDS. StockNews.com upgraded Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Dillard’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

Dillard’s Trading Down 1.4 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $417.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $416.42. The company has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 2.38.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.84 by $3.64. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 32.13% and a net margin of 9.55%. The company’s revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $15.44 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 33.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is 2.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total transaction of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DDS. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 177.3% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Dillard’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Dillard’s in the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Dillard’s by 85.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Dillard’s by 7,566.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

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.