Xponance Inc. Increases Holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Xponance Inc. boosted its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,916 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ASO. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 15.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,739,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $626,755,000 after buying an additional 1,422,971 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,402,000. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 331.4% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 959,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,210,000 after purchasing an additional 737,212 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,445,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 203.2% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 514,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,998,000 after purchasing an additional 344,466 shares in the last quarter.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

Shares of ASO opened at $48.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $50.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.03. The stock has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.25. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a one year low of $43.16 and a one year high of $68.96.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 7.49% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.21 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. This is a positive change from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $60.00 target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $85.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. B. Riley lowered their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $58.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.13.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Company 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.