Pacer Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,268,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $174,054,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned 4.53% of Academy Sports and Outdoors as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 19.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,969,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,147,000 after purchasing an additional 481,640 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $137,878,000 after acquiring an additional 559,414 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 4.2% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,721,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,683,000 after acquiring an additional 69,700 shares during the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,613,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,903,000 after purchasing an additional 29,912 shares during the period. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 0.9% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,241,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,823,000 after acquiring an additional 10,545 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Academy Sports and Outdoors

In other Academy Sports and Outdoors news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total transaction of $74,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,172. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total value of $74,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $552,172. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.25, for a total value of $33,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $548,250.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Price Performance

NASDAQ ASO opened at $60.34 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $54.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.22. The stock has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.83 and a 52 week high of $75.73.

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

Academy Sports and Outdoors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 19th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 19th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is currently 6.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ASO. UBS Group lowered Academy Sports and Outdoors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $81.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $80.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $68.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.86.

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.