Empirical Finance LLC Acquires Shares of 7,433 Abercrombie & Fitch Company $ANF

Key Points

• Empirical Finance LLC acquired 7,433 Abercrombie & Fitch shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $669,000. Several other institutional investors also increased or initiated positions.
• Abercrombie reported a strong quarter, earning $4.17 per share versus the $1.99 consensus estimate on $1.27 billion in revenue, up 4.8% year over year. Analysts maintain a generally favorable outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $155.38.
• ANF shares opened at $143.19 after declining 5.8%, amid weakness across apparel retailers. Insider selling—including 72,800 shares sold during the last quarter—may add caution despite the company’s strong earnings and positive long-term forecasts.

Empirical Finance LLC acquired a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,433 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $669,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 3.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 29,517 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $2,254,000 after buying an additional 892 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 521.1% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,000 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 839 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch in the first quarter worth about $261,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 8.9% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 127,389 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $9,729,000 after buying an additional 10,459 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $348,000.

Key Stories Impacting Abercrombie & Fitch

Here are the key news stories impacting Abercrombie & Fitch this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research maintained a “Strong Buy” rating and raised several long-term forecasts. Estimates were increased for Q3 2027, Q2–Q4 2028 and FY2028, with FY2028 EPS raised to $12.29 from $11.62. These revisions suggest analysts continue to expect strong future earnings growth. Abercrombie & Fitch analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimates were mixed. Zacks lowered forecasts for Q1 2028 and Q1 2029 EPS but raised estimates for multiple later periods. The overall analyst view remains favorable, while the consensus full-year EPS estimate is $11.40. Abercrombie & Fitch research estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Broad weakness across apparel retailers is weighing on ANF. Reports cited declines in Abercrombie & Fitch and other specialty retailers, including American Eagle, Zumiez, Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret. American Eagle’s results were viewed as flattered by a $161 million tariff refund, raising concerns about the quality and sustainability of apparel-sector earnings. Apparel retailer stock declines
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s COO sold 2,000 shares. Scott Lipesky sold stock worth approximately $293,640 at an average price of $146.82, reducing his position by 1.36%. The relatively small transaction is not necessarily a change in business outlook, but insider selling can add short-term investor caution. Abercrombie & Fitch COO stock sale

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kenneth Robinson sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.69, for a total transaction of $119,752.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,169 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,073,127.61. This trade represents a 10.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Gregory Henchel sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.65, for a total transaction of $4,399,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 33,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,939,318.65. The trade was a 47.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 72,800 shares of company stock valued at $9,595,392. 2.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Abercrombie & Fitch Trading Down 5.8%

Abercrombie & Fitch stock opened at $143.19 on Friday. Abercrombie & Fitch Company has a 12 month low of $65.45 and a 12 month high of $155.22. The company has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.97. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $112.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.61.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The apparel retailer reported $4.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $2.18. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 33.52% and a net margin of 10.03%.The company's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.91 earnings per share. Abercrombie & Fitch has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 13.100-13.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Abercrombie & Fitch Company will post 11.4 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on ANF. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $87.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $170.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $160.00 price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $153.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.38.

Abercrombie & Fitch Profile

Abercrombie & Fitch Co is a global, omnichannel specialty retailer that sells casual apparel, accessories and personal-care products through company-operated stores and digital channels. The company serves customers through its Abercrombie, abercrombie kids, Hollister and Gilly Hicks brands, which target a range of consumers and lifestyles.

Abercrombie & Fitch offers products including jeans, tops, dresses, outerwear, intimates, sleepwear, swimwear, accessories and fragrances. Its brands operate through retail locations and e-commerce platforms, with sales across North America, Europe, Asia and other international markets.

Founded in 1892 as an outdoor-goods retailer in New York City, the company later developed into a youth-focused apparel retailer and has since broadened its brand portfolio and customer appeal.

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