Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $61.37 and last traded at $58.6920, with a volume of 320128 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $59.07.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on ASO. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.89.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Down 0.2%

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.08. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 18.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Academy Sports and Outdoors has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.650-6.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.51%.

Insider Activity at Academy Sports and Outdoors

In other news, Director Brian T. Marley sold 17,071 shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.31, for a total transaction of $944,197.01. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 42,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,356,593.17. The trade was a 28.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Academy Sports and Outdoors

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASO. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 43.0% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 3,119,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,798,000 after buying an additional 937,449 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in the second quarter valued at about $34,228,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,567,000. Boston Partners grew its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 85.5% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,302,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,416,000 after buying an additional 600,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 128.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 833,769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,655,000 after buying an additional 468,457 shares during the last quarter.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Company Profile

Academy Sports and Outdoors is a leading specialty retailer of sporting goods and outdoor gear, operating more than 260 stores across the United States. Headquartered in Katy, Texas, the company offers a broad assortment of merchandise spanning athletic footwear and apparel, team sports equipment, camping and outdoor recreation products, hunting and fishing supplies, and fitness accessories. In addition to its brick-and-mortar footprint, Academy serves customers through its e-commerce platform, offering online ordering, in-store pickup, and home delivery options.

The company’s product portfolio includes seasonal and year-round categories designed to meet the needs of both casual enthusiasts and serious athletes.