Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

Several other research firms have also commented on URBN. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Urban Outfitters from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $93.00 price target on Urban Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Urban Outfitters from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Guggenheim started coverage on Urban Outfitters in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Urban Outfitters from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.50.

Urban Outfitters Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of URBN stock opened at $76.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.23. Urban Outfitters has a fifty-two week low of $41.89 and a fifty-two week high of $83.94.

Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The apparel retailer reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter. Urban Outfitters had a net margin of 8.15% and a return on equity of 18.33%. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Urban Outfitters will post 3.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Urban Outfitters

In other news, CEO Richard A. Hayne sold 10,667 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.94, for a total value of $799,384.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,750,597 shares in the company, valued at $1,330,229,739.18. This represents a 0.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Margaret Hayne sold 9,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.94, for a total value of $699,415.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 2,197,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $164,672,931.18. This trade represents a 0.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 369,333 shares of company stock worth $28,479,134. Company insiders own 31.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Urban Outfitters

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in URBN. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Urban Outfitters by 4.0% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,675,936 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $262,578,000 after purchasing an additional 142,909 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Urban Outfitters by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,879,092 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $205,654,000 after buying an additional 540,877 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Urban Outfitters by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,847,922 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $131,997,000 after buying an additional 50,837 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Urban Outfitters by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,525,150 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $110,646,000 after buying an additional 12,965 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Urban Outfitters by 59.1% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,287,096 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $93,366,000 after buying an additional 477,909 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.61% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Urban Outfitters

Here are the key news stories impacting Urban Outfitters this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market piece says Urban Outfitters’ returns on capital are rising, signaling better capital efficiency and stronger profit generation — a fundamental positive that can support a higher multiple and investor enthusiasm. Urban Outfitters’ (NASDAQ:URBN) Returns On Capital Are Heading Higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary notes URBN has rallied roughly 31% over the past year — positive momentum that can attract momentum/trend-following flows but also raises questions about near-term valuation. Urban Outfitters Insider Sells $1.4 Million in Stock With Shares Up 31% This Past Year
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders (CEO Richard A. Hayne and Margaret Hayne) disclosed sales totaling about ~20,000 shares across Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 (roughly $1.4M combined); while headline-grabbing, the transactions represent very small percentage reductions of their large holdings and are likely routine (liquidity/taxes/diversification) rather than a signal of business deterioration. SEC filing: Insider ownership filing

About Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters, Inc is a global lifestyle retailer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in 1970 by Richard Hayne, Scott Belair and Judy Wicks, the company began as a single store catering to college students in the city’s historic Old City neighborhood. Over the decades, Urban Outfitters has expanded its reach and diversified its portfolio to include multiple retail concepts addressing distinct customer segments.

The company operates through several well-known brands, each offering a curated selection of apparel, footwear, accessories and home goods.