Verity Asset Management Inc. Sells 397 Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Verity Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,506 shares of the company’s stock after selling 397 shares during the quarter. Verity Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $1,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,739,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $626,755,000 after purchasing an additional 1,422,971 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,649,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,413,000 after buying an additional 197,384 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 2.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,023,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,092,000 after acquiring an additional 50,715 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 365,929 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 751,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,831,000 after acquiring an additional 8,613 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ASO shares. TD Cowen upped their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $54.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Wedbush reissued 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. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Academy Sports and Outdoors currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.67.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ASO opened at $50.93 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.36, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.25. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $44.73 and a fifty-two week high of $75.73.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.30). Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 7.49% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The company had revenue of $1.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is 7.22%.

Academy Sports and Outdoors 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.