BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 10,502 Shares of Dillard’s, Inc. $DDS

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) by 45.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,566 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,502 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Dillard’s were worth $20,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DDS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Dillard’s by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 28,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,624,000 after purchasing an additional 5,604 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,289,000 after purchasing an additional 2,575 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 50,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,730,000 after purchasing an additional 6,682 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 818.6% during the fourth quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 4,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,545,000 after acquiring an additional 3,741 shares during the period. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Dillard’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,423,000. 67.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Dillard’s 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 10,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,183,177. This represents a 3.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 34.80% of the company’s stock.

Dillard’s Trading Down 1.3%

DDS stock opened at $605.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39 and a beta of 1.16. Dillard’s, Inc. has a 52-week low of $394.70 and a 52-week high of $741.97. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $577.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $616.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $16.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.13 by $5.91. The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. Dillard’s had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 31.89%. Dillard’s’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $10.39 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 35.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Dillard’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 2.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DDS has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research raised Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of Dillard’s from $700.00 to $650.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Dillard’s from $524.00 to $449.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Dillard’s from $460.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $521.33.

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.