Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. Grows Position in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO)

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 28.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,994 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,552 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors were worth $462,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,501,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 370,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,467,000 after buying an additional 70,438 shares during the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 8,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,842,000. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the 4th quarter worth $25,933,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on ASO. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research note on Monday, April 1st. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $86.00 to $82.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, B. Riley reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $72.00 price target (up from $65.00) on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Academy Sports and Outdoors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $72,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,870 shares in the company, valued at $472,200. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Price Performance

Academy Sports and Outdoors stock opened at $57.40 on Monday. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.83 and a 52-week high of $75.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $65.04 and its 200 day moving average is $60.55. The company has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.40.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 26th were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. This is an increase from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 25th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.55%.

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.