Dillard's (NYSE:DDS) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Dillard's recently reached a new 52-week high with shares trading at $589.35, significantly up from its previous close of $574.67.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with price targets ranging from $175.00 (UBS Group) to $550.00 (Telsey Advisory Group), yet the general consensus remains a "Sell" on the stock.
• The company declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, up from $0.25, indicating a $1.20 annualized yield of 0.2%.

Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $589.35 and last traded at $587.67, with a volume of 104563 shares. The stock had previously closed at $574.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DDS has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of 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 upped their price target on shares of Dillard's from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Dillard's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Dillard's from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Sell" and an average target price of $394.33.

Dillard's Trading Up 0.1%

The business's 50 day moving average price is $515.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $424.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $9.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63 and a beta of 0.99.

Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The company reported $4.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.79 by $0.87. Dillard's had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 30.55%. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $11.09 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Dillard's, Inc. will post 33.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dillard's Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This is a positive change from Dillard's's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Dillard's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2.76%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DDS. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC raised its holdings in Dillard's by 26,618.5% during the 1st quarter. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC now owns 186,228 shares of the company's stock worth $66,694,000 after purchasing an additional 185,531 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Dillard's by 75.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 66,142 shares of the company's stock worth $23,687,000 after purchasing an additional 28,468 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Dillard's during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,238,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Dillard's by 84.1% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 46,416 shares of the company's stock worth $16,623,000 after purchasing an additional 21,199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Dillard's during the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,250,000. Institutional investors own 67.15% of the company's stock.

About Dillard's

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.