Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. $ASO Shares Purchased by Villanova Investment Management Co LLC

Villanova Investment Management Co LLC increased its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,230 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,061 shares during the period. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $1,962,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 22.1% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 701,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,035,000 after acquiring an additional 126,952 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 71.9% in the third quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 273,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,686,000 after purchasing an additional 114,427 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 36.4% in the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 144,374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,222,000 after purchasing an additional 38,526 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 9,627.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 58,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,919,000 after purchasing an additional 57,763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 116.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 435,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,802,000 after purchasing an additional 234,693 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on ASO. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Academy Sports and Outdoors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.89.

Insider Activity at Academy Sports and Outdoors

In other news, Director Brian T. Marley sold 3,500 shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.01, for a total transaction of $192,535.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 39,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,151,276.07. The trade was a 8.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.62% of the company’s stock.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Trading Down 0.5%

ASO opened at $58.78 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $55.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.32. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.34 and a 12 month high of $61.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.75, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.26.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.08. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 18.24% and a net margin of 6.27%.The business had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Academy Sports and Outdoors has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.650-6.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is 9.51%.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Profile

Academy Sports and Outdoors is a leading specialty retailer of sporting goods and outdoor gear, operating more than 260 stores across the United States. Headquartered in Katy, Texas, the company offers a broad assortment of merchandise spanning athletic footwear and apparel, team sports equipment, camping and outdoor recreation products, hunting and fishing supplies, and fitness accessories. In addition to its brick-and-mortar footprint, Academy serves customers through its e-commerce platform, offering online ordering, in-store pickup, and home delivery options.

The company’s product portfolio includes seasonal and year-round categories designed to meet the needs of both casual enthusiasts and serious athletes.