Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Zacks Research lowered shares of Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Dillard’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Dillard’s from $460.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $521.33.

Dillard’s Stock Performance

DDS stock opened at $589.61 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $565.05 and its 200-day moving average is $591.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 1.15. Dillard’s has a twelve month low of $449.64 and a twelve month high of $741.97.

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

Dillard’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is presently 2.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.18, for a total transaction of $243,672.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,183,177. This trade represents a 3.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 34.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dillard’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 108.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 48 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Dillard’s in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Dillard’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Dillard’s by 6,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 64 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. 67.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dillard’s Company Profile

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.