Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) Shares Sold by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. cut its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,210 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,785 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Academy Sports and Outdoors worth $4,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 240.8% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 915 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 242.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 334 shares in the last quarter.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ ASO opened at $46.60 on Wednesday. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.16 and a twelve month high of $66.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.25. The company’s fifty day moving average is $50.33 and its 200-day moving average is $52.80.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.14. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 7.49%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.21 EPS. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This is an increase from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is currently 9.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wedbush lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.69.

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.