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

Shares of Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $478.23 and last traded at $480.19, with a volume of 35453 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $466.98.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Dillard’s from $194.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price 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, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Dillard’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th.

Dillard’s Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 2.38. The company has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.24 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $445.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $401.80.

Dillard’s Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Tom W. Bolin sold 300 shares of Dillard’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.45, for a total value of $130,035.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,167 shares in the company, valued at $505,836.15. This trade represents a 20.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 33.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DDS. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Dillard’s by 11.0% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 455 shares of the company’s stock worth $175,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Dillard’s by 61.3% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Dillard’s by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Dillard’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Dillard’s by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. 67.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.