Isthmus Partners LLC Acquires New Position in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 41,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,360,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 15.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,739,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $626,755,000 after buying an additional 1,422,971 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,649,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,413,000 after acquiring an additional 197,384 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,023,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,092,000 after acquiring an additional 50,715 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 331.4% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 959,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,210,000 after purchasing an additional 737,212 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 62.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 951,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,515,000 after purchasing an additional 365,929 shares during the last quarter.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Price Performance

Academy Sports and Outdoors stock opened at $49.24 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.73. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $44.73 and a 12 month high of $74.26. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 8.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.25.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.30). Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 7.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This is a boost from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is presently 7.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on ASO shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen increased 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 research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.67.

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.