William Blair Investment Management LLC Buys 448,582 Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. $ASO

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 45.2%, now holding 1,440,032 shares valued at approximately $64.5 million.
• Academy Sports and Outdoors reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.82 for the most recent quarter, missing estimates by $0.32, and its revenue was $1.60 billion against expectations of $1.61 billion.
• The company's quarterly dividend of $0.13 reflects a 1.0% yield, with a payout ratio of 9.74%.

William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO - Free Report) by 45.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,440,032 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 448,582 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 2.17% of Academy Sports and Outdoors worth $64,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 345,718 shares of the company's stock worth $15,768,000 after purchasing an additional 4,279 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,422 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the 1st quarter worth approximately $351,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 325,721 shares of the company's stock worth $14,856,000 after purchasing an additional 13,761 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peregrine Capital Management LLC raised its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC now owns 153,807 shares of the company's stock worth $7,015,000 after purchasing an additional 18,937 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $52.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Sunday, August 31st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt assumed coverage on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Monday, August 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $58.37.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Price Performance

Shares of ASO stock opened at $51.54 on Friday. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.34 and a 12-month high of $61.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $51.17 and a 200-day moving average of $46.71.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 2nd. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.32). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 18.47%. Academy Sports and Outdoors's quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. Academy Sports and Outdoors has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.600-6.30 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 11th were given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 11th. Academy Sports and Outdoors's payout ratio is currently 9.74%.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Company Profile

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.

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