Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $521.3333.

Several brokerages recently commented on DDS. Zacks Research raised shares of Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 27th. UBS Group upped their target price 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, Weiss Ratings lowered Dillard’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd.

Dillard’s Stock Down 0.2%

DDS opened at $546.13 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $569.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $603.08. Dillard’s has a 1-year low of $424.86 and a 1-year high of $741.97. The stock has a market cap of $8.53 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $16.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.13 by $5.91. Dillard’s had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 31.43%. The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $10.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Dillard’s will post 35.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Dillard’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Dillard’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 400 shares of Dillard’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.18, for a total transaction of $243,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director 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 this hyperlink. 34.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dillard’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Dillard’s by 24.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 28,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,624,000 after buying an additional 5,604 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Dillard’s by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,289,000 after buying an additional 2,575 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Dillard’s by 15.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 50,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,730,000 after buying an additional 6,682 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,598,000. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Dillard’s during the 4th quarter worth $1,423,000. 67.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.