Boston Partners Invests $28.33 Million in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 193,980 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $28,327,000. Boston Partners owned about 0.39% of Abercrombie & Fitch at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 92.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 223 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 604.4% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 317 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $79.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,513,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,834,135. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 1.45. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a 1-year low of $74.31 and a 1-year high of $196.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.42.

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Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.57 billion. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 46.50% and a net margin of 11.16%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.97 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Abercrombie & Fitch declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, March 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.30 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the apparel retailer to purchase up to 29.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on ANF. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $149.00 to $139.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $190.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $220.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Abercrombie & Fitch currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.88.

Abercrombie & Fitch 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.