Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,830,000 shares, a growth of 10.0% from the March 31st total of 4,390,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,630,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 9.7% of the company's stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on ANF shares. 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. Argus upped their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $97.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $152.00 price target (up previously from $140.00) on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $149.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.71.

Abercrombie & Fitch Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ANF traded down $3.84 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $121.55. 1,171,988 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,605,687. The firm has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.54 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Abercrombie & Fitch has a fifty-two week low of $21.74 and a fifty-two week high of $140.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.64.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Abercrombie & Fitch

In related news, insider Kristin A. Scott sold 120,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.15, for a total value of $15,138,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,208 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,819,939.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Abercrombie & Fitch news, CFO Scott D. Lipesky sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.95, for a total transaction of $4,478,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,558 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,330,996.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Kristin A. Scott sold 120,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.15, for a total transaction of $15,138,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,208 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,819,939.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 558,786 shares of company stock worth $64,340,812 in the last ninety days. 3.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 51.4% in the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 315 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 36.7% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company Profile

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.