Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) Short Interest Down 12.3% in February

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 809,500 shares, a decline of 12.3% from the January 31st total of 922,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 127,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.3 days. Approximately 10.3% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DDS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Dillard’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Dillard’s from $200.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Insider Activity at Dillard’s

In other Dillard’s news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total value of $130,035.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at $505,836.15. This represents a 20.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 33.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Dillard’s by 70.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Dillard’s by 61.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Dillard’s in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 229.1% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 18,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,002,000 after buying an additional 12,704 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,095,000 after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.15% of the company’s stock.

Dillard’s Stock Performance

Shares of DDS traded up $7.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $368.13. 56,320 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 125,502. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $456.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $414.23. Dillard’s has a 52 week low of $328.00 and a 52 week high of $510.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $5.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.46 and a beta of 0.88.

Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $13.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.84 by $3.64. Dillard’s had a return on equity of 32.13% and a net margin of 9.55%. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $15.44 earnings per share. Dillard’s’s revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Dillard’s will post 33.25 EPS for the current year.

Dillard’s Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Dillard’s’s payout ratio is presently 2.71%.

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.