Heartland Advisors Inc. Buys 20,000 Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO - Free Report) by 40.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 70,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Academy Sports and Outdoors worth $4,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 6,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA grew its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA now owns 5,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 4,916 shares of the company's stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 5,553 shares of the company's stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares in the last quarter.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $58.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Wedbush cut their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Academy Sports and Outdoors presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.69.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ASO traded up $0.95 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $47.55. The stock had a trading volume of 479,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,565,013. The company has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 7.81, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm's fifty day moving average is $50.33 and its 200 day moving average is $52.80. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.16 and a 12 month high of $66.31.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.09%. 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 9.01%.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Profile

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.