UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) Stock Price

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at UBS Group from $210.00 to $150.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the apparel retailer’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 74.09% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $220.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $149.00 to $139.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $189.00 to $168.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Abercrombie & Fitch currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $147.75.

Abercrombie & Fitch Price Performance

ANF opened at $86.16 on Thursday. Abercrombie & Fitch has a one year low of $79.77 and a one year high of $196.99. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.52 and a beta of 1.45.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $3.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.09. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 46.50% and a net margin of 11.16%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.97 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abercrombie & Fitch announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, March 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.30 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the apparel retailer to reacquire up to 29.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the fourth quarter worth $10,212,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 8,221 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch in the 4th quarter worth about $399,000. Invst LLC grew its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 4,017 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch during the 4th quarter valued at about $247,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company Profile

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.