Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Academy Sports and Outdoors has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 16 analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $58.29.
• The company exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $2.31 versus the $2.07 consensus, while revenue reached $1.65 billion and increased 3% year over year.
• Academy declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, equivalent to a 1.1% annual yield; however, insiders sold more than 106,000 shares worth approximately $5.6 million over the past 90 days.

Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $58.29.

ASO has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Academy Sports and Outdoors from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 17th.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ASO opened at $53.49 on Friday. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $48.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $50.57. The company has a market cap of $3.29 billion, a PE ratio of 8.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.98. Academy Sports and Outdoors has a twelve month low of $41.29 and a twelve month high of $62.44.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.65 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 18.36% and a net margin of 6.39%. The business's revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Academy Sports and Outdoors has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-6.900 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors will post 6.23 EPS for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Academy Sports and Outdoors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Samuel Johnson sold 70,303 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.79, for a total transaction of $3,640,992.37. Following the transaction, the president owned 36,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,909,031.19. This trade represents a 65.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Brian T. Marley sold 10,432 shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total value of $555,504.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,736,322.75. The trade was a 24.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 106,315 shares of company stock valued at $5,576,537. Corporate insiders own 4.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the second quarter worth $468,146,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,029,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,439,000 after acquiring an additional 71,888 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the second quarter worth about $61,207,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the second quarter worth about $27,742,000. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,579,000.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Company Profile

Academy Sports + Outdoors, Inc is a sporting goods retailer that sells equipment, apparel, footwear and related products for sports, outdoor recreation and active lifestyles. Its merchandise includes products for hunting, fishing, camping, boating, fitness, team sports, golf and outdoor living, as well as seasonal goods and licensed sports apparel.

The company operates a chain of retail stores across the southern, southeastern, midwestern and other regions of the United States, along with an e-commerce platform.

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