Dillard’s Stock Soars After Reporting Rising Q3 Profit and Sales

Dillard's at Park Plaza Mall in Little Rock (Maggie McLemore)

Dillard’s Inc. of Little Rock (NYSE: DDS) on Thursday morning reported a rise in sales and income in its fiscal third quarter, sending its stock prices to record highs.   

The department store chain reported net income of $129.8 million, up 4.2% from $124.6 million a year ago. Per share, earnings came to $8.31, compared to $7.73 in the third quarter of 2024.

Results for the period ending Nov. 1 exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $6.43 per share.

Dillard’s net sales, which includes Dillard’s construction company CDI Contractors LLC, were $1.469 billion in the quarter compared with $1.427 billion in the third quarter of 2024. Dillard’s revenue also beat expectations. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.42 billion in revenue for the quarter. 

Its total retail sales were up 3% to $1.401 billion in the quarter, compared with the same quarter last year. 

“We were happy to see sales strength continue through the third quarter, ending up 3%,” Dillard’s CEO William T. Dillard II said in a news release. “We look forward to seeing and serving our customers this holiday season.”

Dillard’s stock price shot up 19.6% Thursday morning from its Wednesday close. It was trading at $724.99 a share Thursday morning, breaking its record high $637.73, which it reached in October.

Over the past 12 months, shares of the company were up nearly 87%.

Same-store sales, a key metric used by retailers to measure the performance of stores open at least a year, increased 3% for the third quarter. 

Sales in ladies’ accessories and lingerie, juniors’ and children’s apparel and ladies’ apparel increased significantly compared to the prior year third quarter, the news release said. Sales increased moderately in shoes and increased slightly in home and furniture, men’s apparel and accessories and cosmetics.

Dillard’s has announced the upcoming closure of its 240,000-SF store at The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano, Texas. The location is expected to close in January.

Dillard’s operates 272 stores, including 28 clearance centers, in 30 states.