Dillard's (NYSE:DDS) Hits New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) reached a new 52-week high, trading at $527.65, significantly up from its previous close of $497.93.
• Analysts have mixed opinions, with UBS lowering its price objective while Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from "hold" to "buy."
• The company reported earnings per share of $4.66 for the last quarter, exceeding expectations by $1.19, along with a revenue increase of 1.6% year-over-year.

Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $521.49 and last traded at $527.65, with a volume of 64848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $497.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on DDS. UBS Group upped their price objective on Dillard's from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Dillard's from $368.00 to $458.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Dillard's in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Dillard's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd.

Dillard's Trading Up 5.7%

The firm has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $443.50 and a 200 day moving average of $408.53.

Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The company reported $4.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $1.19. Dillard's had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 8.93%. The firm's revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $11.09 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Dillard's, Inc. will post 33.25 EPS for the current year.

Dillard's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Dillard's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2.76%.

Institutional Trading of Dillard's

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DDS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 37.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 783 shares of the company's stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Dillard's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $556,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 3,042 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,313,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Dillard's by 1,707.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,115 shares of the company's stock valued at $913,000 after purchasing an additional 1,998 shares during the last quarter. 67.15% of the stock is currently 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.

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