Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Trading Down 6.3% – Here’s Why

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) shares were down 6.3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $542.24 and last traded at $541.5680. 33,214 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 124,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $577.96.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on DDS. Zacks Research upgraded Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group upped their target price on Dillard’s from $460.00 to $465.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Dillard’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $521.33.

Dillard’s Trading Down 2.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $574.26 and its 200-day moving average is $605.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.37 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $16.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.13 by $5.91. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 31.43% and a net margin of 10.09%.The business had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $10.39 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 35.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Dillard’s Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Dillard’s

In related news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was 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 $6,183,177. This represents a 3.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 34.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dillard’s

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