Dillard's (NYSE:DDS) Reaches New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Dillard's share price reached a new 52-week high of $511.02 following an upgrade from JPMorgan Chase & Co., which raised its price target from $368.00 to $458.00.
• Despite the upgrade, other analysts, including Wall Street Zen and UBS Group, have recently lowered their ratings on the stock, reflecting a mixed outlook among equity research analysts.
• In addition to stock performance, Dillard's announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25, resulting in an annual yield of 0.20%.

Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $368.00 to $458.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an underweight rating on the stock. Dillard's traded as high as $511.02 and last traded at $509.60, with a volume of 28760 shares. The stock had previously closed at $499.13.

Several other research analysts have also commented on DDS. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Dillard's in a report on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Dillard's from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Dillard's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th.

Institutional Trading of Dillard's

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DDS. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC lifted its position in Dillard's by 26,618.5% in the first quarter. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC now owns 186,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,694,000 after purchasing an additional 185,531 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Dillard's by 3,989.8% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,315,000 after purchasing an additional 36,866 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Dillard's by 75.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 66,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,687,000 after purchasing an additional 28,468 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Dillard's by 47.0% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 81,779 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,307,000 after purchasing an additional 26,132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Street Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Dillard's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,155,000. Institutional investors own 67.15% of the company's stock.

Dillard's Stock Down 1.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $430.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $407.70. The stock has a market cap of $7.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.89 and a beta of 0.99.

Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The company reported $10.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.10 by $1.29. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Dillard's had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 8.93%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $11.10 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Dillard's, Inc. will post 33.25 EPS for the current year.

Dillard's Dividend Announcement

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

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.