American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:AOUT) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:AOUT) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 336,666 shares, an increase of 96.1% from the August 31st total of 171,717 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 622,027 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days.

Institutional Trading of American Outdoor Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Susquehanna International Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of American Outdoor Brands by 357.0% in the second quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 74,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,000 after buying an additional 58,466 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in American Outdoor Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $431,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Outdoor Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,043,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Outdoor Brands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $425,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Outdoor Brands during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,270,000. 49.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Outdoor Brands Stock Down 4.1%

AOUT opened at $16.20 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $13.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.44 million, a P/E ratio of -52.26 and a beta of 0.27. American Outdoor Brands has a 12-month low of $6.26 and a 12-month high of $17.69.

American Outdoor Brands (NASDAQ:AOUT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 3rd. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.27. American Outdoor Brands had a positive return on equity of 2.88% and a negative net margin of 1.97%.The company had revenue of $37.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.64 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Outdoor Brands will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOUT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of American Outdoor Brands in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price target (up from $13.50) on shares of American Outdoor Brands in a report on Friday, September 4th. Zacks Research raised American Outdoor Brands from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of American Outdoor Brands in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised American Outdoor Brands from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Outdoor Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.50.

American Outdoor Brands Company Profile

American Outdoor Brands, Inc is an outdoor products company that develops, manufactures and sells equipment and accessories for shooting, hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor activities. Its product portfolio includes shooting accessories, optics and mounts, knives and tools, game-processing equipment, hunting gear, fishing products, coolers and camping accessories.

The company markets its products under a portfolio of recognized outdoor brands, including Caldwell, Crimson Trace, BOG, Old Timer, Schrade, UST and Hooyman.