Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $44.50 and last traded at $44.99, with a volume of 707730 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $46.78.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ASO. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on shares of 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Academy Sports and Outdoors presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.67.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Trading Down 4.7 %

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 has a 50-day moving average of $52.92 and a 200 day moving average of $53.65. The company has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a PE ratio of 7.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.25.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. This is an increase 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 7.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Academy Sports and Outdoors

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ASO. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 2.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,023,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,092,000 after purchasing an additional 50,715 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 66.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 95,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,582,000 after buying an additional 38,155 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $626,755,000 after acquiring an additional 1,422,971 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in the 3rd quarter valued at $633,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 712,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,974,000 after purchasing an additional 90,592 shares during the last quarter.

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.