Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO - Free Report) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,464,630 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,997 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned 2.11% of Academy Sports and Outdoors worth $84,260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ASO. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 6,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA grew its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA now owns 5,600 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 4,916 shares of the company's stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 7,613 shares of the company's stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $60.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $38.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $85.00 to $70.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $57.75.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Trading Down 3.2%

Academy Sports and Outdoors stock traded down $1.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $40.65. 1,264,818 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,646,196. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.34 and a 12 month high of $64.62. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $41.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.67, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.29.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 7.49% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.21 EPS. Analysts forecast that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This is an increase from Academy Sports and Outdoors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. Academy Sports and Outdoors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.