Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 1,750 Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,824 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,750 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1,014.0% during the fourth quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 213,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,094,000 after buying an additional 194,373 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,010,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,725,000 after purchasing an additional 172,783 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the first quarter worth $1,021,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 36.6% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,089,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,878,000 after purchasing an additional 559,414 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 75.0% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 39,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,674,000 after purchasing an additional 16,970 shares during the period.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Trading Up 5.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ASO opened at $59.01 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $53.61 and its 200 day moving average is $57.57. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.83 and a 1 year high of $75.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 10th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 25.56% and a net margin of 7.98%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 6.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 19th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 19th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ASO. 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 research note on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $80.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $68.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.86.

Insider Activity

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

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.