Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. Makes New $12.41 Million Investment in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 83,000 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $12,406,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ANF. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $73,048,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,017,720 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $142,379,000 after buying an additional 204,901 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 561.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 125,550 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $17,564,000 after buying an additional 106,577 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 37.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 362,479 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $50,711,000 after buying an additional 97,893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $11,852,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Up 0.9 %

ANF stock opened at $114.62 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.34 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $140.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.84. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a 52 week low of $101.59 and a 52 week high of $196.99.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The apparel retailer reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.18. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 46.50% and a net margin of 11.16%. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.83 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will post 10.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Abercrombie & Fitch

In other news, COO Scott D. Lipesky sold 8,605 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.20, for a total transaction of $1,292,471.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 97,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,697,070. This trade represents a 8.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Samir Desai sold 5,926 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.51, for a total transaction of $880,070.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,059 shares in the company, valued at $3,275,982.09. The trade was a 21.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,401 shares of company stock worth $2,631,741. Corporate insiders own 2.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised Abercrombie & Fitch from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $201.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $149.00 to $139.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.25.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch Co, through its subsidiaries, operates as an omnichannel retailer in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and internationally. The company offers an assortment of apparel, personal care products, and accessories for men, women, and kids under the Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister, and Gilly Hicks brands.