Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stock Position in DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE:DKS)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE:DKS) by 10.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 881,620 shares of the sporting goods retailer’s stock after buying an additional 86,064 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in DICK’S Sporting Goods were worth $201,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DKS. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in DICK’S Sporting Goods during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in DICK’S Sporting Goods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in DICK’S Sporting Goods by 590.0% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 138 shares of the sporting goods retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in DICK’S Sporting Goods by 108.6% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 146 shares of the sporting goods retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in DICK’S Sporting Goods in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

DICK’S Sporting Goods Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE DKS opened at $181.08 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $202.75 and its 200 day moving average is $213.26. DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $166.37 and a 52 week high of $254.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $14.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.32.

DICK’S Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The sporting goods retailer reported $3.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. DICK’S Sporting Goods had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 42.00%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.85 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. will post 13.89 earnings per share for the current year.

DICK’S Sporting Goods Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th were given a $1.2125 dividend. This is a positive change from DICK’S Sporting Goods’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 28th. DICK’S Sporting Goods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.54%.

DICK’S Sporting Goods announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, March 11th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the sporting goods retailer to buy up to 18.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on DKS shares. TD Cowen increased their price objective on DICK’S Sporting Goods from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com cut DICK’S Sporting Goods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on DICK’S Sporting Goods from $226.00 to $192.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of DICK’S Sporting Goods in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of DICK’S Sporting Goods from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.72.

DICK’S Sporting Goods Profile

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc engages in the retailing of an extensive assortment of authentic sports equipment, apparel, footwear, and accessories. It also offers its products both online and through mobile applications. The company was founded by Richard T. Stack in 1948 and is headquartered in Coraopolis, PA.