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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning.

DDS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Dillard’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard’s Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:DDS opened at $363.45 on Wednesday. Dillard’s has a 1 year low of $328.00 and a 1 year high of $510.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $458.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $414.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 0.88. 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 (NYSE:DDS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.84 by $3.64. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 32.13% and a net margin of 9.55%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $15.44 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Dillard’s will post 33.25 EPS for the current year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Dillard’s

In other Dillard’s news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. 33.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Dillard’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Dillard’s during the 4th quarter worth 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 acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Dillard’s during the 4th quarter worth about $70,000. 67.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.