Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Stock Price Down 6% – Here’s Why

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS)’s share price traded down 6% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $571.93 and last traded at $573.5750. 47,261 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average session volume of 125,309 shares. The stock had previously closed at $610.01.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Dillard’s from $460.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Dillard’s from $524.00 to $449.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on Dillard’s from $700.00 to $650.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Dillard’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $521.33.

Dillard’s Stock Down 5.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $8.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.66 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $581.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $616.39.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $10.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 35.26 EPS for the current year.

Dillard’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors 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 dividend yield of 0.2%. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is currently 2.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dillard’s

In related news, Director J C. Watts, Jr. sold 400 shares of Dillard’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 10,150 shares in the company, valued at $6,183,177. The trade was a 3.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 34.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Dillard’s by 28,394.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,354,000 after acquiring an additional 225,734 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Dillard’s by 18.7% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 142,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,343,000 after acquiring an additional 22,400 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Dillard’s by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 116,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,686,000 after acquiring an additional 12,863 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Dillard’s by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 73,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,652,000 after acquiring an additional 7,123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Dillard’s by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 67,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,167,000 after acquiring an additional 14,718 shares in the last quarter. 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.