Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $124.60.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $78.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th.

Insider Transactions at Abercrombie & Fitch

In other news, CEO Fran Horowitz sold 29,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $2,976,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 308,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,850,300. This trade represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 350,000 shares of company stock worth $34,661,358. Insiders own 2.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Abercrombie & Fitch

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 181.6% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 352 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 322.0% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 120.3% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 271 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 108.2% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 481 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of ANF stock opened at $95.73 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.18 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.16 and a 200-day moving average of $93.65. Abercrombie & Fitch has a 12-month low of $65.40 and a 12-month high of $133.11.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 26th. The apparel retailer reported $2.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.22. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 38.01% and a net margin of 10.07%.The business had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.50 earnings per share. Abercrombie & Fitch’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch Co (NYSE: ANF) is an American specialty retailer that designs, markets and sells casual apparel and accessories for men, women and children. Founded in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch, the company evolved from an outdoor gear outfitter to a global lifestyle brand renowned for its relaxed, preppy aesthetic. Its product assortment includes tops, bottoms, outerwear, intimates, swimwear, fragrances and personal care items.

The company operates under multiple brand names, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids, Hollister and Gilly Hicks, each targeting distinct consumer segments from teens to young adults.