DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE:DKS) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE:DKS - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $244.72.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on DKS shares. StockNews.com cut shares of DICK'S Sporting Goods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of DICK'S Sporting Goods in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of DICK'S Sporting Goods in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of DICK'S Sporting Goods from $255.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on DICK'S Sporting Goods from $226.00 to $192.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DKS. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in DICK'S Sporting Goods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,893,210,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in DICK'S Sporting Goods during the fourth quarter worth $221,693,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in DICK'S Sporting Goods during the fourth quarter valued at $125,285,000. Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in DICK'S Sporting Goods during the 4th quarter worth about $89,351,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of DICK'S Sporting Goods by 24,140.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 291,859 shares of the sporting goods retailer's stock valued at $58,827,000 after purchasing an additional 290,655 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

DICK'S Sporting Goods Price Performance

Shares of DKS stock traded down $1.52 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $187.99. The company had a trading volume of 586,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,164,123. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.32. The firm's fifty day moving average is $199.77 and its 200 day moving average is $212.89. DICK'S Sporting Goods has a 12 month low of $166.37 and a 12 month high of $254.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 1.72.

DICK'S Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The sporting goods retailer reported $3.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.15. DICK'S Sporting Goods had a return on equity of 42.00% and a net margin of 8.65%. The business had revenue of $3.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.85 EPS. DICK'S Sporting Goods's revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that DICK'S Sporting Goods will post 13.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

DICK'S Sporting Goods Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th were issued a $1.2125 dividend. This represents a $4.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. This is a positive change from DICK'S Sporting Goods's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. DICK'S Sporting Goods's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.54%.

DICK'S Sporting Goods declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, March 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the sporting goods retailer to reacquire up to 18.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

About DICK'S Sporting Goods

Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc engages in the retailing of an extensive assortment of authentic sports equipment, apparel, footwear, and accessories. It also offers its products both online and through mobile applications. The company was founded by Richard T. Stack in 1948 and is headquartered in Coraopolis, PA.