Short Interest in Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) Drops By 5.6%

Dillard’s, Inc. (NYSE:DDS – Get Rating) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,360,000 shares, a decrease of 5.6% from the February 13th total of 1,440,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 132,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 10.3 days. Approximately 15.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DDS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Dillard’s from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Dillard’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Dillard’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Dillard’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $256.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Chris B. Johnson sold 650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.17, for a total value of $233,460.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,105,024.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 29.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dillard’s

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Dillard’s by 55.0% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 92 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,310,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Dillard’s by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 55.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dillard’s Price Performance

Dillard’s stock opened at $325.45 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a PE ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.94. Dillard’s has a 52-week low of $193.00 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $369.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $334.81.

Dillard’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. Dillard’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1.57%.

About Dillard’s

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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.