Columbia Sportswear (NASDAQ:COLM) Shares Up 2% - Here's Why

Columbia Sportswear (NASDAQ:COLM - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $69.33 and last traded at $68.52. 445,296 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average session volume of 523,030 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on COLM shares. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $68.00 price objective (down from $80.00) on shares of Columbia Sportswear in a report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Columbia Sportswear from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Columbia Sportswear from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.00.

Columbia Sportswear Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $80.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.84. The company has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.91.

Columbia Sportswear (NASDAQ:COLM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The textile maker reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.06). Columbia Sportswear had a net margin of 6.63% and a return on equity of 12.23%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Columbia Sportswear will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Columbia Sportswear Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Columbia Sportswear's dividend payout ratio is 31.01%.

Insider Activity

In other Columbia Sportswear news, Director Ronald E. Nelson sold 6,395 shares of Columbia Sportswear stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.74, for a total transaction of $522,727.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,393,503.52. The trade was a 27.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richelle T. Luther sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.36, for a total transaction of $369,440.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,319,177.88. The trade was a 21.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 44.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Columbia Sportswear

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in COLM. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Columbia Sportswear by 184.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 299 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Columbia Sportswear by 43.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 600 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Columbia Sportswear by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 915 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Columbia Sportswear during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Columbia Sportswear by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 942 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. 47.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Columbia Sportswear

Columbia Sportswear Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, markets, and distributes outdoor, active, and everyday lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment in the United States, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Canada. The company provides apparel, accessories, and equipment for hiking, trail running, snow, fishing, hunting, mountaineering, climbing, skiing and snowboarding, trail, and outdoor activities.