Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) Short Interest Update

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,540,000 shares, a decrease of 9.6% from the August 31st total of 6,130,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,550,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Approximately 8.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $68.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $80.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.86.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Down 1.4 %

NASDAQ ASO opened at $58.36 on Tuesday. 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 has a 52 week low of $42.83 and a 52 week high of $75.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.92, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $54.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.58.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 10th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 19th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 19th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.73%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 625 shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.25, for a total value of $33,906.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,106 shares in the company, valued at $548,250.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Academy Sports and Outdoors news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was 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 approximately $552,172. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.25, for a total transaction of $33,906.25. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $548,250.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Academy Sports and Outdoors

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ASO. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $174,054,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,089,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,878,000 after acquiring an additional 559,414 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 19.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,969,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $158,147,000 after purchasing an additional 481,640 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 953.5% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 403,467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,629,000 after purchasing an additional 365,168 shares during the period. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 169.0% in the first quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 510,727 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,494,000 after purchasing an additional 320,835 shares during the period.

About Academy Sports and Outdoors

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.