Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) reached a new 52-week high on Monday. The stock traded as high as $70.70 and last traded at $70.1860, with a volume of 91,161 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $67.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ASO shares. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Academy Sports and Outdoors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings raised Academy Sports and Outdoors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $42.00 price target on Academy Sports and Outdoors and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Academy Sports and Outdoors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.54.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 1.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.94.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.24. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 18.36% and a net margin of 6.39%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Academy Sports and Outdoors has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-6.900 EPS. Analysts forecast that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 6.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 16th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is presently 10.00%.

Insider Activity at Academy Sports and Outdoors

In other news, Director Brian T. Marley sold 10,432 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total transaction of $555,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 32,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,736,322.75. This trade represents a 24.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Samuel Johnson sold 70,303 shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.79, for a total transaction of $3,640,992.37. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 36,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,909,031.19. This represents a 65.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 106,315 shares of company stock worth $5,576,537. Insiders own 4.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the third quarter worth $56,415,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 46.1% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 13,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $661,000 after purchasing an additional 4,336 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP increased its stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 28,453.8% in the third quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 18,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,495 shares in the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the third quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 3.1% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $327,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Company Profile

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc is a sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer that sells products through its stores and e-commerce platform. Its merchandise includes sports and fitness equipment, outdoor and camping gear, hunting and fishing supplies, apparel, footwear and recreation products.

The company serves customers primarily in the southern and eastern United States through a network of retail locations. Its stores offer products for a range of sports and outdoor activities, as well as items for everyday use.

Founded in 1938, Academy began as a family-owned business in Texas and grew into a regional sporting goods retailer.