Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Abercrombie & Fitch has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from eight brokerages, with an average one-year price target of $111.88.
• Institutional investors have significantly increased their stakes in Abercrombie & Fitch, with AQR Capital Management raising its position by 198.2% in the first quarter.
• The company's recent earnings report showed a profit of $1.59 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a 7.5% year-over-year revenue increase.

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $111.8750.

ANF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $170.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays set a $84.00 price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Wednesday, May 28th.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Up 8.9%

Shares of NYSE:ANF traded up $8.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $99.14. 2,363,709 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,482,267. Abercrombie & Fitch has a 12 month low of $65.40 and a 12 month high of $172.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 1.54. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $85.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.62.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.24. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 42.32% and a net margin of 10.60%. The business had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abercrombie & Fitch

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 8,221 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,229,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 5,460 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $816,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,569 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $793,000 after buying an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 31,095 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $2,375,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,194 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company Profile

Abercrombie & Fitch Co engages in the retail of apparel, personal care products, and accessories. The firm operates through following geographical segments: Americas, EMEA and APAC. The Americas segment includes operations in North America and South America. The EMEA segment includes operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.