Zacks Research Downgrades Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) to Hold

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on DDS. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Dillard’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Dillard’s from $460.00 to $465.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Dillard’s currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $521.33.

Dillard’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DDS opened at $589.61 on Monday. Dillard’s has a twelve month low of $449.64 and a twelve month high of $741.97. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $565.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $591.93.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $16.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $10.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Dillard’s will post 35.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 400 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director directly owned 10,150 shares in the company, valued at $6,183,177. This represents a 3.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 34.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dillard’s

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DDS. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Dillard’s by 108.7% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 48 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Dillard’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Dillard’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 6,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 64 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 790.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.