Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 114,111 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,289 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $6,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ASO. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 6.2% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 5,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the third quarter valued at $323,000. Vestcor Inc boosted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 184.3% in the third quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 16,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 10,500 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 2.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,023,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,092,000 after purchasing an additional 50,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the third quarter valued at $40,000.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ASO opened at $39.91 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.55, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $47.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.66. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.34 and a fifty-two week high of $64.62.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.14. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 7.49% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.21 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This is a boost from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. B. Riley lowered their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $77.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.63.

Academy Sports and Outdoors 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.