Investors Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO)

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASO) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 7,025 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 310% compared to the average volume of 1,712 put options.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of ASO traded up $1.79 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $50.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,338,258 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,670,332. The stock has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.50, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $48.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Academy Sports and Outdoors has a 52 week low of $33.34 and a 52 week high of $61.25.

Academy Sports and Outdoors (NASDAQ:ASO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Academy Sports and Outdoors had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 6.21%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. Academy Sports and Outdoors has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.650-6.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Academy Sports and Outdoors will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 18th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 18th. Academy Sports and Outdoors’s payout ratio is 9.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ASO shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $52.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Sunday, August 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Citigroup downgraded Academy Sports and Outdoors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $55.00 to $50.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors in a report on Monday, September 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Academy Sports and Outdoors has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.37.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Academy Sports and Outdoors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ASO. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Academy Sports and Outdoors by 1.2% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,879,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,077,000 after purchasing an additional 46,305 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 43.0% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 3,119,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,798,000 after buying an additional 937,449 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,176,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,886,000 after buying an additional 125,398 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,110,172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,557,000 after buying an additional 117,175 shares during the period. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Academy Sports and Outdoors by 45.2% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,440,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,528,000 after buying an additional 448,582 shares during the last quarter.

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.