Scientech Research LLC Increases Stake in Urban Outfitters, Inc. $URBN

Key Points

• Scientech Research LLC significantly increased its investment in Urban Outfitters by 253.5% during the first quarter, owning nearly 20,000 shares valued at approximately $1.05 million.
• CEO Tricia D. Smith sold 4,500 shares of Urban Outfitters stock at an average price of $70.52, decreasing her ownership by over 25% and retaining approximately 13,477 shares valued at around $950,000.
• Urban Outfitters reported strong financial results for the previous quarter, with earnings of $1.58 per share, surpassing analyst expectations, and an 11.3% revenue increase year-over-year.

Scientech Research LLC increased its stake in Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN - Free Report) by 253.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,985 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 14,331 shares during the quarter. Scientech Research LLC's holdings in Urban Outfitters were worth $1,047,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Urban Outfitters by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,322,526 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $121,700,000 after purchasing an additional 233,371 shares in the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Urban Outfitters by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 1,728,447 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $90,571,000 after purchasing an additional 244,801 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Urban Outfitters by 27.6% in the 1st quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,397,175 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $73,212,000 after purchasing an additional 302,444 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Urban Outfitters in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,769,000. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in shares of Urban Outfitters in the 1st quarter valued at about $40,544,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.61% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Urban Outfitters news, CEO Tricia D. Smith sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.52, for a total transaction of $317,340.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 13,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $950,398.04. This trade represents a 25.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 31.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on URBN shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Urban Outfitters from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Baird R W raised shares of Urban Outfitters from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Urban Outfitters from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Urban Outfitters from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Urban Outfitters from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $81.91.

Urban Outfitters Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Urban Outfitters stock traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $72.09. 2,285,442 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,199,964. Urban Outfitters, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.86 and a twelve month high of $80.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.63.

Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.14. Urban Outfitters had a net margin of 8.15% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.48 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Urban Outfitters, Inc. will post 3.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Urban Outfitters Profile

Urban Outfitters, Inc engages in the retail and wholesale of general consumer products. The company operates through three segments: Retail, Wholesale, and Nuuly. It operates Urban Outfitters stores, which offer women's and men's fashion apparel, activewear, intimates, footwear, accessories, home goods, electronics, and beauty products for young adults aged 18 to 28; and Anthropologie stores that provide women's apparel, accessories, intimates, shoes, and home furnishings, as well as gifts, decorative items, and beauty and wellness products for women aged 28 to 45.