Dillard's (NYSE:DDS) Sees Large Volume Increase - Here's What Happened

Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 188,100 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 40% from the previous session's volume of 134,832 shares.The stock last traded at $307.43 and had previously closed at $364.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DDS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Dillard's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Dillard's from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Dillard's in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard's Stock Performance

The company's fifty day moving average price is $406.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $415.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 2.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 8.42 and a beta of 0.66.

Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.84 by $3.64. Dillard's had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 32.13%. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $15.44 earnings per share. Dillard's's revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Dillard's, Inc. will post 33.25 earnings per share for the current year.

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Dillard's Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Dillard's's payout ratio is currently 2.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dillard's

In related news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total value of $130,035.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,836.15. This trade represents a 20.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 33.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard's

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in Dillard's by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 76,515 shares of the company's stock worth $29,377,000 after purchasing an additional 2,758 shares during the period. Consolidated Planning Corp lifted its stake in shares of Dillard's by 154.5% during the fourth quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 1,514 shares of the company's stock worth $654,000 after purchasing an additional 919 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Dillard's by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 352,006 shares of the company's stock worth $151,975,000 after buying an additional 25,212 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Dillard's during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,270,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.15% of the company's stock.

About Dillard's

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.