Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $124.60.

A number of analysts have commented on the company. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $78.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Thursday, October 30th.

Abercrombie & Fitch Trading Up 1.7%

ANF opened at $95.73 on Thursday. Abercrombie & Fitch has a 1-year low of $65.40 and a 1-year high of $133.11. The company has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.18 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $109.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.65.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The apparel retailer reported $2.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.22. Abercrombie & Fitch had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 38.01%. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Abercrombie & Fitch

In other Abercrombie & Fitch news, CEO Fran Horowitz sold 29,769 shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $2,976,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 308,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,850,300. This trade represents a 8.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 350,000 shares of company stock valued at $34,661,358. Corporate insiders own 2.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Abercrombie & Fitch

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ANF. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 181.6% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 352 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 322.0% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 120.3% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 271 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 108.2% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 481 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch Co (NYSE: ANF) is an American specialty retailer that designs, markets and sells casual apparel and accessories for men, women and children. Founded in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch, the company evolved from an outdoor gear outfitter to a global lifestyle brand renowned for its relaxed, preppy aesthetic. Its product assortment includes tops, bottoms, outerwear, intimates, swimwear, fragrances and personal care items.

The company operates under multiple brand names, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids, Hollister and Gilly Hicks, each targeting distinct consumer segments from teens to young adults.