Vest Financial LLC Sells 2,642 Shares of Dillard's, Inc. $DDS

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC sold 2,642 shares of Dillard's in Q4, cutting its holding by 43.1% to 3,489 shares worth about $2.12 million.
• Dillard's quarterly results beat EPS estimates ($13.05 vs. $9.98) but missed revenue expectations ($1.99B vs. $2.03B), and the stock was down roughly 3.5%, opening near $562.53.
• Analyst sentiment has soured with several downgrades and lower targets, leaving a consensus "Reduce" rating and an average price target of $519.67.

Vest Financial LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE:DDS - Free Report) by 43.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,489 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,642 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Dillard's were worth $2,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Dillard's by 14.0% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 103,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,730,000 after buying an additional 12,699 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in Dillard's by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 67,895 shares of the company's stock worth $41,167,000 after purchasing an additional 14,718 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Dillard's by 52.8% in the third quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 66,519 shares of the company's stock worth $40,875,000 after purchasing an additional 22,991 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Dillard's by 75.6% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Dillard's by 21.6% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 65,548 shares of the company's stock worth $27,388,000 after purchasing an additional 11,640 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.15% of the company's stock.

Dillard's Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE DDS opened at $562.53 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $594.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $623.50. Dillard's, Inc. has a 12-month low of $330.00 and a 12-month high of $741.97.

Dillard's (NYSE:DDS - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.03 billion. Dillard's had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 8.81%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $13.48 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Dillard's, Inc. will post 32.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dillard's Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on DDS shares. Wall Street Zen cut Dillard's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Zacks Research cut Dillard's from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Dillard's from $700.00 to $650.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Dillard's from $524.00 to $449.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Dillard's in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $519.67.

Dillard's Profile

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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