Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) Short Interest Up 18.0% in September

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,180,000 shares, a growth of 18.0% from the September 15th total of 1,000,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 157,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.5 days. Currently, 14.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Dillard’s news, Director Robert C. Connor bought 100 shares of Dillard’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $346.82 per share, with a total value of $34,682.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 78,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,051,960. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 33.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in Dillard’s by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 612 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 1.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Dillard’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Dillard’s by 31.0% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 330 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Dillard’s by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 67.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Dillard’s Stock Up 1.6 %

Dillard’s stock traded up $5.87 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $382.40. The stock had a trading volume of 53,559 shares, compared to its average volume of 116,547. Dillard’s has a one year low of $286.39 and a one year high of $476.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $361.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $403.88. The company has a market capitalization of $6.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.56 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 3.14 and a quick ratio of 1.62.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The company reported $4.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.97 by ($1.38). The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 34.29% and a net margin of 9.94%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.98 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Dillard’s will post 31.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is 2.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on DDS shares. StockNews.com raised Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on shares of Dillard’s from $475.00 to $380.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Dillard’s from $202.00 to $194.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

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.