Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning.

DDS has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Dillard’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard’s Stock Performance

Shares of Dillard’s stock opened at $353.37 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $5.62 billion, a PE ratio of 9.10 and a beta of 0.89. Dillard’s has a 52 week low of $328.00 and a 52 week high of $510.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $438.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $415.64. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.84 by $3.64. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 32.13% and a net margin of 9.55%. Dillard’s’s quarterly revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $15.44 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Dillard’s will post 33.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Dillard’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 2.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of Dillard’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total value of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,836.15. The trade was a 20.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DDS. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Dillard’s by 177.3% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Dillard’s by 85.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Dillard’s during the fourth quarter worth about $108,000. Institutional investors 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.