Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Purchases New Position in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 62,248 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,581,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.09% of Academy Sports and Outdoors as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fund 1 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,929,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 712,226 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,974,000 after purchasing an additional 90,592 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,969,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 216,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,466,000 after purchasing an additional 22,146 shares during the period. Finally, Pacifica Capital Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Pacifica Capital Investments LLC now owns 400,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,041,000 after purchasing an additional 29,410 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ASO. Jefferies Financial Group set a $60.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. B. Riley lowered their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wedbush lowered their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $57.31.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock traded down $0.03 on Wednesday, reaching $42.74. 208,967 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,647,837. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.34 and a 52 week high of $64.62. The company has a 50 day moving average of $40.24 and a 200 day moving average of $47.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 7.02, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.14. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 7.49% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.21 EPS. The company's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This is a boost 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 1.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 25th. Academy Sports and Outdoors's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.01%.

About Academy Sports and Outdoors

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.