Short Interest in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) Increases By 6.7%

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,720,000 shares, a growth of 6.7% from the December 15th total of 8,170,000 shares. Approximately 12.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,550,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.6 days.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ASO traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $52.58. 1,196,246 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,497,434. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 1.57. Academy Sports and Outdoors has a one year low of $44.73 and a one year high of $75.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.63, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $53.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.89.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Academy Sports and Outdoors will post 5.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup started coverage on Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI lowered Academy Sports and Outdoors from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $65.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Academy Sports and Outdoors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 19.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,969,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $158,147,000 after buying an additional 481,640 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in the second quarter valued at about $3,381,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 10.7% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the second quarter worth about $1,086,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $174,054,000.

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.