Jefferies Initiates Coverage of Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) with Buy Recommendation

On March 14, 2023,
Jefferies
initiated coverage of Academy Sports & Outdoors with
a Buy recommendation.

Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 18.14% Upside

As of March 15, 2023,
the average one-year price target for Academy Sports & Outdoors is $70.85.
The forecasts range from a low of $58.58 to a high of $84.00.
The average price target represents an increase of 18.14% from its latest reported closing price of $59.97.

See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside.

The projected annual revenue for Academy Sports & Outdoors
is $6,537MM, an increase of 1.24%.

The projected annual non-GAAP EPS
is $7.58.

Academy Sports & Outdoors Declares $0.09 Dividend

On March 2, 2023 the company declared a regular
quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share ($0.36 annualized).
Shareholders of record as of March 23, 2023
will receive the payment on April 13, 2023.
Previously, the company paid $0.08 per share.

At the current share price of $59.97 / share,
the stock’s dividend yield is 0.60%.

Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been
1.05%,
the lowest has been 0.49%,
and the highest has been 2.74%.
The standard deviation of yields is 0.52 (n=114).

The current dividend yield is
0.86 standard deviations

below
the historical average.

Additionally, the company’s dividend payout ratio is 0.05.
The payout ratio tells us how much of a company’s income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0)
means 100% of the company’s income is paid in a dividend.
A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend – not a
healthy situation.
Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically
means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0.
Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest
in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.

The company has not increased its dividend in the last three years.

What are Large Shareholders Doing?

IJR – iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF
holds 5,908K shares

representing 7.56% ownership of the company.

In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 6,219K shares, representing
a decrease
of 5.26%.

The firm

increased

its portfolio allocation in ASO by 7.66% over the last quarter.

FCNTX – Fidelity Contrafund
holds 3,512K shares

representing 4.49% ownership of the company.

In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 3,826K shares, representing
a decrease
of 8.94%.

The firm

increased

its portfolio allocation in ASO by 14.00% over the last quarter.

VTSMX – Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares
holds 2,432K shares

representing 3.11% ownership of the company.

In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 2,560K shares, representing
a decrease
of 5.29%.

The firm

increased

its portfolio allocation in ASO by 9.25% over the last quarter.

NAESX – Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Investor Shares
holds 2,054K shares

representing 2.63% ownership of the company.

In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 2,161K shares, representing
a decrease
of 5.18%.

The firm

increased

its portfolio allocation in ASO by 9.64% over the last quarter.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management
holds 1,958K shares

representing 2.51% ownership of the company.

In it’s prior filing, the firm reported owning 1,896K shares, representing
an increase
of 3.17%.

The firm

increased

its portfolio allocation in ASO by 13.45% over the last quarter.

What is the Fund Sentiment?

There are 766 funds or institutions reporting positions in Academy Sports & Outdoors.

This is an increase
of
74
owner(s) or 10.69% in the last quarter.

Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to ASO is 0.32%,
an increase
of 14.96%.

Total shares owned by institutions increased
in the last three months by 1.42% to 94,551K shares.

The put/call ratio of ASO is 2.11, indicating a

bearish
outlook.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)

Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 259 stores across 16 contiguous states. Academy’s mission is to provide ‘Fun for All’ and Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers. Academy’s product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports & recreation through both leading national brands and a portfolio of 17 private label brands, which go well beyond traditional sporting goods and apparel offerings.

This story originally appeared on Fintel.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.