American Century Companies Inc. Increases Stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 386,378 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 57,723 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $20,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC purchased a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the fourth quarter worth $420,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 28,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,875,000 after buying an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the fourth quarter worth about $47,768,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC purchased a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the fourth quarter valued at about $11,958,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $308,000.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Trading Down 1.5 %

ASO opened at $61.83 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $54.13 and its 200-day moving average is $57.29. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.83 and a 52-week high of $75.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.34.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 10th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 7.98% and a return on equity of 25.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. Analysts expect that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 19th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 19th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.86.

Insider Activity at Academy Sports and Outdoors

In other Academy Sports and Outdoors news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 625 shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.25, for a total transaction of $33,906.25. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $548,250.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total transaction of $74,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $552,172. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.25, for a total value of $33,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $548,250.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.