Pacer Advisors Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF)

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. significantly increased its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 3,113.1%, acquiring a total of 490,337 shares and now holds approximately 1.06% of the company valued at $38.65 million.
• Abercrombie & Fitch recently reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, surpassing analyst estimates of $1.35, and experienced a 7.5% year-over-year revenue increase.
• Analyst ratings for Abercrombie & Fitch are mixed, with three hold ratings and six buy ratings, and a consensus target price of $110.63.

Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF - Free Report) by 3,113.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 506,088 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 490,337 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned about 1.06% of Abercrombie & Fitch worth $38,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 197.2% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 14,647 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 9,719 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 11.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,013 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $536,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 81.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,917 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $146,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 4,157 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $621,000 after buying an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch in the 1st quarter worth about $144,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Performance

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $97.98. 484,378 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,477,684. The company has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.65 and a beta of 1.46. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $84.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $88.67. Abercrombie & Fitch Company has a 52 week low of $65.40 and a 52 week high of $172.90.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on ANF. Barclays set a $84.00 price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $170.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $141.00 to $151.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.88.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

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.