Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Stock Price Down 6.3% – Should You Sell?

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) shares dropped 6.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $542.24 and last traded at $541.5680. 33,214 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 124,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $577.96.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DDS. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Dillard’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Dillard’s from $460.00 to $465.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $521.33.

Dillard’s Stock Down 5.0%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $577.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $608.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05 and a beta of 1.16.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $16.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.13 by $5.91. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 31.43% and a net margin of 10.09%.The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $10.39 EPS. Dillard’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 35.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Dillard’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.85%.

Insider Activity at Dillard’s

In related news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.18, for a total value of $243,672.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,183,177. This trade represents a 3.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 34.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DDS. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Dillard’s by 108.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 48 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Dillard’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Dillard’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Dillard’s by 6,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 64 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 790.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

About Dillard’s

Dillard’s, Inc (NYSE:DDS), headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a U.S.-based department store chain founded by William T. Dillard in 1938. Over more than eight decades of operation, the company has grown from a single store in Nashville, Arkansas, to a prominent retailer with a national footprint. Dillard’s equity is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DDS.

The company operates approximately 280 departmental stores across 29 states, offering a broad assortment of merchandise that includes men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and home furnishings.