Dillard's (NYSE:DDS) Shares Gap Up - Time to Buy?

Shares of Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $388.51, but opened at $402.95. Dillard's shares last traded at $404.56, with a volume of 8,128 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DDS shares. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on Dillard's from $475.00 to $380.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 16th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Dillard's from $202.00 to $194.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Dillard's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Dillard's Stock Up 11.6 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 3.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.66 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $372.67 and a 200 day moving average of $397.84.

Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The company reported $4.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.97 by ($1.38). Dillard's had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 34.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.98 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Dillard's, Inc. will post 31.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dillard's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 4th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. Dillard's's dividend payout ratio is currently 2.46%.

Insider Activity at Dillard's

In other Dillard's news, Director Robert C. Connor acquired 100 shares of Dillard's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $346.82 per share, with a total value of $34,682.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 78,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,051,960. This trade represents a 0.13 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 33.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Dillard's

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of DDS. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its stake in shares of Dillard's by 24.3% in the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 4,762 shares of the company's stock worth $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 117.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,950 shares of the company's stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 1,055 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Dillard's by 9.3% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,928 shares of the company's stock worth $2,658,000 after buying an additional 588 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Dillard's by 200.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the company's stock valued at $455,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP raised its holdings in Dillard's by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 5,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,171,000 after acquiring an additional 1,868 shares in the last quarter. 67.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Dillard's

Dillard's, Inc operates retail department stores in the southeastern, southwestern, and midwestern areas of the United States. The company's stores offer merchandise, including fashion apparel for women, men, and children; and accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, and other consumer goods.