Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) Cut to Hold at Loop Capital

Loop Capital lowered shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $69.00 target price on the stock.

ASO has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Academy Sports and Outdoors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Academy Sports and Outdoors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Academy Sports and Outdoors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.27.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

Shares of ASO stock opened at $67.29 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.94. Academy Sports and Outdoors has a 52 week low of $41.29 and a 52 week high of $71.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $55.54 and a 200-day moving average of $53.26.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 6.39% and a return on equity of 18.36%. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. Academy Sports and Outdoors has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-6.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Academy Sports and Outdoors will post 6.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Samuel J. Johnson sold 70,303 shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.79, for a total transaction of $3,640,992.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 36,861 shares in the company, valued at $1,909,031.19. This trade represents a 65.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian Marley sold 10,432 shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total transaction of $555,504.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 32,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,736,322.75. This represents a 24.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 106,315 shares of company stock worth $5,576,537 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 4.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Academy Sports and Outdoors

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASO. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in the second quarter worth approximately $468,146,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,029,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,439,000 after buying an additional 71,888 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the second quarter valued at approximately $61,207,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the third quarter worth $56,415,000. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 4.3% during the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,131,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,410,000 after buying an additional 46,800 shares in the last quarter.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Company Profile

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. is a sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer that sells products through its stores and e-commerce platform. Its merchandise includes sports and fitness equipment, outdoor and camping gear, hunting and fishing supplies, apparel, footwear and recreation products. The company serves customers primarily in the southern and eastern United States through a network of retail locations. Its stores offer products for a range of sports and outdoor activities, as well as items for everyday use.