Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

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

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on DDS. UBS Group increased their price target on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Dillard’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard’s Trading Up 10.9 %

Dillard’s stock traded up $32.17 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $326.94. 237,920 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 138,381. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $401.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $414.48. Dillard’s has a fifty-two week low of $287.43 and a fifty-two week high of $510.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.42 and a beta of 0.66.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.84 by $3.64. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. Dillard’s had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 32.13%. The business’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 company earned $15.44 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Dillard’s will post 33.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Dillard’s

In other Dillard’s news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of Dillard’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total value of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $505,836.15. The trade was a 20.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DDS. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Dillard’s by 177.3% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Dillard’s in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Dillard’s in the fourth quarter valued at $70,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Dillard’s by 85.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Dillard’s by 7,566.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 230 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.