Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $58.63.

ASO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $85.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st.

Institutional Trading of Academy Sports and Outdoors

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,023,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $118,092,000 after buying an additional 50,715 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 712,226 shares of the company's stock worth $40,974,000 after purchasing an additional 90,592 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in the fourth quarter worth $1,969,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 163,109 shares of the company's stock worth $9,384,000 after purchasing an additional 27,824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacifica Capital Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC now owns 400,505 shares of the company's stock worth $23,041,000 after buying an additional 29,410 shares during the period.

Remove Ads

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASO traded down $1.15 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $36.57. 1,923,181 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,616,272. The firm has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a PE ratio of 6.00, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $47.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Academy Sports and Outdoors has a 12 month low of $33.34 and a 12 month high of $64.62.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.14. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 7.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.21 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Academy Sports and Outdoors will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This is a boost from Academy Sports and Outdoors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. Academy Sports and Outdoors's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.01%.

About Academy Sports and Outdoors

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a sporting goods and outdoor recreational retailer in the United States. The company outdoor division comprises camping products, such as coolers and drinkware, and camping accessories and equipment,; fishing products, including marine equipment and fishing rods, reels, and baits and equipment; and hunting products, which includes firearms, ammunition, archery and archery equipment, camouflage apparel, waders, shooting accessories, gun safes, optics, airguns, and hunting equipment.