Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) Given Equal Weight Rating at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley reaffirmed their equal weight rating on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) in a research note released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has a $60.00 price target on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 12th. UBS Group lowered shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $81.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Academy Sports and Outdoors from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price target for the company from $76.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $62.86.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of ASO opened at $54.71 on Wednesday. Academy Sports and Outdoors has a 52 week low of $42.83 and a 52 week high of $75.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.62.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 10th. The company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 27.18% and a net margin of 8.17%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.01 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Academy Sports and Outdoors will post 6.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 19th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 625 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.25, for a total transaction of $33,906.25. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $548,250.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 8,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.8% during the second quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 15,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 3.6% in the second quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 7,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $409,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 28,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 13,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $911,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Company 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.