Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on DDS. UBS Group lifted 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. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Dillard’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard’s Stock Up 10.9 %

Shares of DDS traded up $32.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $326.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 237,920 shares, compared to its average volume of 138,381. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Dillard’s has a 12-month low of $287.43 and a 12-month high of $510.00. The stock has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 8.42 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50 day moving average is $401.19 and its 200 day moving average is $414.48.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last announced its quarterly 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 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $15.44 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Dillard’s will post 33.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Dillard’s news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total transaction of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $505,836.15. This represents a 20.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 33.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Dillard’s by 47,109.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,720,000 after buying an additional 10,364 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 7,566.7% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth about $405,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 27.0% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,374,000 after purchasing an additional 2,155 shares in 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.