Sei Investments Co. Purchases 39,483 Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 250,087 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 39,483 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $14,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ASO. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 240.8% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1,307.1% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 985 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 242.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 334 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Wedbush cut their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.13.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASO opened at $46.07 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $43.16 and a 52 week high of $68.96. The firm has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 7.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $50.65 and its 200-day moving average is $52.98.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 7.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.21 EPS. Sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This is a positive change from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.01%.

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.