Two Sigma Investments LP Cuts Position in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Two Sigma Investments LP reduced its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 41.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 40,644 shares of the company’s stock after selling 28,848 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $2,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 240.8% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1,307.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1,041.7% during the 4th quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 242.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 843 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 724.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ASO shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Monday, March 17th. B. Riley lowered their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $60.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Academy Sports and Outdoors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.75.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Price Performance

ASO opened at $40.92 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 1.57. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.34 and a 1 year high of $64.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of 6.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.21 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. This is a boost from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 25th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is 9.01%.

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.