Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Shares Down 2.3% – Here’s Why

Shares of Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) dropped 2.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $355.70 and last traded at $354.21. Approximately 41,991 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 137,229 shares. The stock had previously closed at $362.71.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on DDS shares. 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. UBS Group boosted their target price on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

Dillard’s Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 2.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $448.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $414.85. The firm has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a PE ratio of 9.16 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Dillard’s

In other news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total value of $130,035.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at $505,836.15. This represents 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 through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Dillard’s by 177.3% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Dillard’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Dillard’s by 61.3% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Dillard’s by 85.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

About Dillard’s

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.