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Will Dillard's (DDS) Continue Its Earnings Beat Streak in Q3?

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Dillard’s, Inc. (DDS - Free Report) is expected to register year-over-year growth in the top and bottom lines when it reports third-quarter fiscal 2021 numbers. The company’s efforts to manage inventory levels and reduce operating expenses have been aiding the bottom line. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal third-quarter revenues of $1.27 billion indicates 23.6% growth from the year-ago reported figure.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal third-quarter earnings is pegged at $1.93 per share, indicating 29.5% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. The consensus estimate has been unchanged in the past 30 days.

We note that in the trailing four quarters, the company’s bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 248.3%, on average.

Dillard's, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

 

Dillard's, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Dillard's, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Dillard's, Inc. Quote

Key Factors to Note

Dillard’s has been witnessing a strong earnings growth trend, owing to margin improvement and lower expenses along with continued momentum in consumer demand. The company’s initiatives to control inventory and expenses have been contributing to bottom-line gains for the past few quarters. Improved consumer demand and better inventory management have been resulting in lower markdowns, which have been boosting the gross margin. These trends are expected to have continued in the fiscal third quarter, aiding the top and bottom lines.

Dillard’s has been keen on inventory management since the start of the pandemic through measures like cancellation, suspension and delaying of shipments as well as merchandise purchase reduction. The aggressive measures to lower excess inventory have proved beneficial for the company’s margins. Improved consumer demand and inventory reductions are expected to have led to lower markdowns in the fiscal third quarter, which is likely to have boosted the gross margin. The reduced total merchandise purchases have led to a decline in overall inventory levels in the past five quarters.

The company is expected to have witnessed reduced expenses in the fiscal third quarter, owing to various steps like the extension of vendor payment terms, and the reduction of discretionary and capital expenditure as well as payroll. Lower payroll and payroll-related expenses, as the company operates with reduced operating hours and fewer associates, are expected to have led to lower SG&A expenses.

However, stiff competition and raw material price inflation remain concerning.

What the Zacks Model Suggests

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Dillard’s this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Dillard’s currently has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%.

3 Stocks With Favorable Combination

Here are three companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming releases:

DICK'S Sporting Goods (DKS - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +10.27% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Jack In The Box (JACK - Free Report) presently has an Earnings ESP of +5.08% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Five Below (FIVE - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.90% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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