Dillard's (NYSE:DDS) Trading 4.1% Higher - Here's Why

Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 4.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $372.31 and last traded at $371.74. Approximately 11,875 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 116,105 shares. The stock had previously closed at $357.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DDS has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Dillard's from $202.00 to $194.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 16th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on Dillard's from $475.00 to $380.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Dillard's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th.

Dillard's Stock Performance

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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $361.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $404.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.61 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Dillard's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Dillard's's dividend payout ratio is currently 2.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dillard's

In other Dillard's news, Director Robert C. Connor bought 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $346.82 per share, for a total transaction of $34,682.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 78,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,051,960. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 33.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DDS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Dillard's by 15.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 394,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,255,000 after acquiring an additional 52,974 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 110.5% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 69,071 shares of the company's stock worth $27,881,000 after purchasing an additional 36,253 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 36.0% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 124,200 shares of the company's stock worth $54,696,000 after purchasing an additional 32,900 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 592.9% during the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 11,482 shares of the company's stock worth $5,057,000 after purchasing an additional 9,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 38.4% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 29,030 shares of the company's stock worth $12,785,000 after purchasing an additional 8,051 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.15% of the company's stock.

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.