Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) Cut to "Hold" at StockNews.com

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $149.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $98.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $152.00 price objective (up previously from $140.00) on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $100.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $81.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Abercrombie & Fitch has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $110.00.

Abercrombie & Fitch Trading Down 6.0 %

ANF stock traded down $7.80 during trading on Thursday, hitting $122.93. The company had a trading volume of 1,270,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,699,029. Abercrombie & Fitch has a 52-week low of $21.74 and a 52-week high of $140.28. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.76 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The apparel retailer reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 38.80% and a net margin of 7.67%. Abercrombie & Fitch's revenue was up 21.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Abercrombie & Fitch

In related news, CFO Scott D. Lipesky sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.24, for a total transaction of $4,812,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 116,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,258,828.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Jay Rust sold 786 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.41, for a total value of $98,572.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,014 shares in the company, valued at $127,165.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Scott D. Lipesky sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.24, for a total transaction of $4,812,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 116,987 shares in the company, valued at $11,258,828.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 288,786 shares of company stock valued at $32,608,812 in the last three months. 3.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 985.0% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 1,085 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch Co, through its subsidiaries, operates as an omnichannel retailer in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and internationally. The company offers an assortment of apparel, personal care products, and accessories for men, women, and kids under the Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister, and Gilly Hicks brands.

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