Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Sets New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $282.24 and last traded at $296.98, with a volume of 58508 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $294.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group increased their target price on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Dillard’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard’s Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $406.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $415.43. The company has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 2.38.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.84 by $3.64. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 32.13% and a net margin of 9.55%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $15.44 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 33.25 EPS for the current year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is 2.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total transaction of $130,035.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,836.15. This trade represents a 20.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 33.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dillard’s

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of DDS. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Dillard’s by 3.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 76,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,377,000 after purchasing an additional 2,758 shares during the last quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp increased its stake in shares of Dillard’s by 154.5% in the fourth quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 1,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $654,000 after buying an additional 919 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 352,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,975,000 after acquiring an additional 25,212 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 10.1% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 5,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,957,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dillard’s in the 4th quarter worth about $7,270,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

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.