Johnson Outdoors (NASDAQ:JOUT) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Johnson Outdoors (NASDAQ:JOUT) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Johnson Outdoors in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Johnson Outdoors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson Outdoors presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Johnson Outdoors Stock Down 3.1%

Johnson Outdoors stock opened at $46.88 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $44.21 and its 200 day moving average is $41.36. Johnson Outdoors has a 52-week low of $21.33 and a 52-week high of $50.99. The company has a market cap of $487.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.41, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.91.

Johnson Outdoors (NASDAQ:JOUT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($0.33) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.45) by $0.12. The company had revenue of $140.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.95 million. Johnson Outdoors had a negative net margin of 5.79% and a negative return on equity of 1.92%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson Outdoors will post -0.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Outdoors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 8th were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 8th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Johnson Outdoors’s payout ratio is -60.27%.

Insider Activity at Johnson Outdoors

In other news, Director Edward F. Lang sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.94, for a total value of $87,880.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,413,593.74. This trade represents a 5.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 28.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson Outdoors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JOUT. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Johnson Outdoors by 260.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in Johnson Outdoors by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 418,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,748,000 after buying an additional 17,700 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in Johnson Outdoors during the 4th quarter worth about $276,000. Highlander Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson Outdoors during the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Strs Ohio grew its stake in Johnson Outdoors by 258.3% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 12,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,000 after acquiring an additional 9,300 shares during the period. 64.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Johnson Outdoors News

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson Outdoors this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue surged 31% to $140.9M, well above estimates — broad-based strength led by fishing, camping and diving sales. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: GAAP EPS loss of $(0.33) beat the consensus $(0.45), and operating loss narrowed sharply to $(2.9)M from $(20.2)M a year ago — evidence of improving profitability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Gross margin improved to 36.6% (from 29.9%) and cash + short-term investments rose to $130.7M; the company also declared a quarterly cash dividend. These items support liquidity and shareholder returns. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Segment detail: fishing revenue up ~36% (new product traction), camping & watercraft +12%, diving +15% — seasonal selling periods still ahead (Q2–Q3). Management emphasized continued investments in new products and digital commerce. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Net loss remains $(3.3)M and the company still shows a negative net margin and negative ROE; analysts expect the company to remain unprofitable this year (consensus ~-0.58 EPS). Continued losses leave valuation metrics and forward profitability uncertain. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operating expenses rose modestly (to $54.5M) and other legacy costs still weigh on margins; investors may be taking profits after a recent run, contributing to today’s downward stock move and higher-than-normal volume. Read More.

About Johnson Outdoors

Johnson Outdoors Inc is a diversified outdoor recreation company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of gear and equipment for marine and land-based activities. The company operates through two primary segments: the Marine Electronics & Boat Group and the Outdoor Products Group. Its marine offerings include electric motors and anchors under the Minn Kota® brand, fish-finding and sonar systems under the Humminbird® brand, and a lineup of recreational watercraft under the Old Town® and Ocean Kayak® names.