Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Makes New Investment in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew 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 worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 242.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 843 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 24.3% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the period.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ASO opened at $47.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $51.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 issued 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. The company 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%. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.21 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. This is a boost from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $54.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group reduced their target price 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. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $85.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.38.

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.