Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 204,446 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 62% from the previous session’s volume of 125,984 shares.The stock last traded at $377.24 and had previously closed at $371.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DDS. StockNews.com upgraded Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Dillard’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Dillard’s Price Performance

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 stock has a market cap of $5.85 billion, a PE ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $453.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $415.53.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.84 by $3.64. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 32.13% and a net margin of 9.55%. The business’s revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $15.44 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Dillard’s, Inc. will post 33.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is 2.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total transaction of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,836.15. This represents a 20.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DDS. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Dillard’s by 177.3% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Dillard’s in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Dillard’s during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Dillard’s by 61.3% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Dillard’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $70,000. 67.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.