Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" on Dillard's from five firms (two sell, three hold) with an average 12‑month price target of $519.67, though recent moves include JPMorgan cutting its target to $449 (underweight) and Wall Street Zen upgrading to buy.
• Dillard's beat quarterly EPS estimates ($13.05 vs. $9.98) but reported revenue down 3.0% year‑over‑year; the stock trades at a P/E of 15.2 with a market cap of $8.65 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 (annualized $1.20, ~0.2% yield) and institutional investors own about 67% of the shares, with several funds increasing positions recently.

Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $519.6667.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DDS. Wall Street Zen raised Dillard's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, March 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Dillard's from $524.00 to $449.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Dillard's from $184.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on shares of Dillard's from $700.00 to $650.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Dillard's from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd.

Dillard's Stock Performance

DDS opened at $553.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Dillard's has a 1-year low of $282.24 and a 1-year high of $741.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $620.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $625.19.

Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $13.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.98 by $3.07. Dillard's had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 8.81%.The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $13.48 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Dillard's will post 33.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dillard's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Dillard's's payout ratio is 3.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dillard's

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Dillard's by 322.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,510 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,257,000 after buying an additional 2,680 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Dillard's by 110.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 139 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in Dillard's by 18.3% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 44,703 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,009,000 after acquiring an additional 6,913 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Dillard's by 75.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 66,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,687,000 after acquiring an additional 28,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Dillard's in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,746,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.15% of the company's stock.

About Dillard's

Dillard's, Inc NYSE: DDS, headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a U.S.-based department store chain founded by William T. Dillard in 1938. Over more than eight decades of operation, the company has grown from a single store in Nashville, Arkansas, to a prominent retailer with a national footprint. Dillard's equity is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DDS.

The company operates approximately 280 departmental stores across 29 states, offering a broad assortment of merchandise that includes men's and women's apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and home furnishings.

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