Marshall Wace LLP Boosts Stock Position in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF - Free Report) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,037,773 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 115,758 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 2.06% of Abercrombie & Fitch worth $155,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 92.2% in the fourth 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. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 415 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch during the 4th quarter worth about $69,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Price Performance

NYSE ANF traded up $3.91 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $73.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,585,711 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,973,673. The firm's 50 day moving average is $85.02 and its 200 day moving average is $121.99. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a fifty-two week low of $65.40 and a fifty-two week high of $196.99. The company has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 1.41.

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

Abercrombie & Fitch announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, March 5th that permits the company to buyback $1.30 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel retailer to buy up to 29.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ANF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $190.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $168.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Raymond James set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $135.00 to $98.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.29.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

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.