Stifel Financial Corp Boosts Stake in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF - Free Report) by 200.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,753 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,837 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch were worth $1,757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 47.9% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,757 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,225,000 after buying an additional 2,835 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 48,338 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $6,762,000 after acquiring an additional 976 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,056 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $158,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch in the fourth quarter worth $212,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 26,756 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $4,024,000 after acquiring an additional 3,978 shares in the last quarter.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock traded down $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $73.20. 1,390,481 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,013,499. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a fifty-two week low of $65.40 and a fifty-two week high of $196.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $75.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.24 and a beta of 1.47.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. Abercrombie & Fitch had a net margin of 11.16% and a return on equity of 46.50%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.97 EPS. Analysts predict that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Abercrombie & Fitch announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, March 5th that allows the company to repurchase $1.30 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the apparel retailer to purchase up to 29.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on ANF. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $114.00 to $78.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays began coverage on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Monday, April 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $71.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $220.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $190.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.63.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch Co engages in the retail of apparel, personal care products, and accessories. The firm operates through following geographical segments: Americas, EMEA and APAC. The Americas segment includes operations in North America and South America. The EMEA segment includes operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.