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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

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

Dillard's Stock Performance

Dillard's stock traded down $4.00 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $363.45. The stock had a trading volume of 199,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 125,356. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 0.88. Dillard's has a 12 month low of $328.00 and a 12 month high of $510.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $459.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $414.97.

Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.84 by $3.64. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. Dillard's had a net margin of 9.55% and a return on equity of 32.13%. Dillard's's revenue was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $15.44 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Dillard's will post 33.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dillard's Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 0.28%. Dillard's's payout ratio is currently 2.71%.

Insider Transactions at Dillard's

In other news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of Dillard's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total transaction of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $505,836.15. The trade was a 20.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 33.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard's

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DDS. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 352,006 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,975,000 after buying an additional 25,212 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of Dillard's by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 211,561 shares of the company's stock worth $91,339,000 after acquiring an additional 20,155 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 152,756 shares of the company's stock worth $65,951,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Clientfirst Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Dillard's in the 4th quarter valued at $48,873,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 81,779 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,307,000 after purchasing an additional 26,132 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.