State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Purchases 9,575 Shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. $ASO

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) by 23.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,797 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,575 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned approximately 0.08% of Academy Sports and Outdoors worth $2,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Carrera Capital Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 20,397 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,019,000 after acquiring an additional 1,687 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 10,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 1,132 shares in the last quarter. James Investment Research Inc. grew its position in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 84.7% in the 4th quarter. James Investment Research Inc. now owns 9,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 4,476 shares during the period. Finally, Dupree Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Academy Sports and Outdoors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,486,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Tweedy sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $240,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $470,100. The trade was a 33.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Trading Up 4.7%

Shares of ASO stock opened at $54.48 on Thursday. Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.96 and a 1 year high of $62.44. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $56.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.06.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.08). Academy Sports and Outdoors had a net margin of 6.22% and a return on equity of 17.88%. The business had revenue of $1.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Academy Sports and Outdoors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is presently 10.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on ASO. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.57.

About Academy Sports and Outdoors

Academy Sports and Outdoors is a leading specialty retailer of sporting goods and outdoor gear, operating more than 260 stores across the United States. Headquartered in Katy, Texas, the company offers a broad assortment of merchandise spanning athletic footwear and apparel, team sports equipment, camping and outdoor recreation products, hunting and fishing supplies, and fitness accessories. In addition to its brick-and-mortar footprint, Academy serves customers through its e-commerce platform, offering online ordering, in-store pickup, and home delivery options.

The company’s product portfolio includes seasonal and year-round categories designed to meet the needs of both casual enthusiasts and serious athletes.