Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $492.99 and last traded at $480.59, with a volume of 28201 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $476.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Dillard’s from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Dillard’s from $194.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Dillard’s Stock Up 1.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $449.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $402.12.

Dillard’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $25.00 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 5.68%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Dillard’s’s dividend payout ratio is 2.57%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total transaction of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $505,836.15. This represents a 20.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dillard’s

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 352,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,975,000 after purchasing an additional 25,212 shares during the last quarter. Clientfirst Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Dillard’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,873,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Dillard’s by 3.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 76,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,377,000 after acquiring an additional 2,758 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 16.7% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 49,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,803,000 after acquiring an additional 7,006 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 38.4% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 29,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,785,000 after acquiring an additional 8,051 shares during the period. 67.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.