Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) Position Boosted by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,166 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,046 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $297,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ASO. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 240.8% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1,307.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 242.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 843 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 724.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 334 shares during the last quarter.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

Shares of ASO stock opened at $36.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.04, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.32. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.34 and a fifty-two week high of $64.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $45.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.46.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 25th. This is a boost from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ASO shares. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective 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. B. Riley decreased their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $54.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $58.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Monday, March 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.63.

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.