Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $317.72 and last traded at $321.28, with a volume of 47778 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $364.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed 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 Trading Down 1.4 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a PE ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $417.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $416.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.84 by $3.64. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 32.13% and a net margin of 9.55%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $15.44 EPS. Dillard’s’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 33.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.32%. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is 2.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dillard’s

In other Dillard’s news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total transaction of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Dillard’s by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,863,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Dillard’s by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 5,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,216,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in Dillard’s by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 783 shares of the company’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in Dillard’s by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 3,042 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,313,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 67.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.