Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) Short Interest Update

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,040,000 shares, a decline of 16.9% from the February 28th total of 4,860,000 shares. Approximately 8.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,360,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Abercrombie & Fitch Price Performance

ANF stock traded up $3.11 on Friday, hitting $73.37. 5,066,833 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,924,497. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.26 and a beta of 1.41. The business's fifty day moving average is $95.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.40. Abercrombie & Fitch has a twelve month low of $66.51 and a twelve month high of $196.99.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.48 by $0.09. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 46.50% and a net margin of 11.16%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.97 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

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Abercrombie & Fitch announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, March 5th that permits the company to buyback $1.30 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel retailer to buy up to 29.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on ANF. StockNews.com cut Abercrombie & Fitch from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 9th. Raymond James set a $110.00 price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $190.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $149.00 to $139.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $189.00 to $168.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Abercrombie & Fitch presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.88.

Institutional Trading of Abercrombie & Fitch

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ANF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 92.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 223 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 56.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 367 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 55.6% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 728 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 415 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company Profile

Abercrombie & Fitch Co engages in the retail of apparel, personal care products, and accessories. The firm operates through following geographical segments: Americas, EMEA and APAC. The Americas segment includes operations in North America and South America. The EMEA segment includes operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.