Royce & Associates LP Grows Position in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO - Free Report) by 62.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 951,256 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 365,929 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned about 1.35% of Academy Sports and Outdoors worth $55,515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the 1st quarter worth about $1,021,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 75.0% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 39,589 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,674,000 after acquiring an additional 16,970 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 162,406 shares of the company's stock worth $8,648,000 after acquiring an additional 10,416 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 808,250 shares of the company's stock worth $43,040,000 after acquiring an additional 121,115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners bought a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the 1st quarter valued at $1,000,000.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

ASO traded down $1.49 during trading on Friday, hitting $47.80. 1,074,007 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,423,311. The stock's fifty day moving average is $55.05 and its 200 day moving average is $54.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a one year low of $45.47 and a one year high of $75.73. The firm has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.37.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 10th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 7.98% and a return on equity of 25.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 6.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 19th were given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 19th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Academy Sports and Outdoors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $68.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Academy Sports and Outdoors has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Academy Sports and Outdoors

In other Academy Sports and Outdoors news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total value of $74,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,906 shares of the company's stock, valued at $552,172. This trade represents a 11.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.19% of the company's stock.

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.