Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Friday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Friday, December 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $170.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup raised Abercrombie & Fitch from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.50.

Abercrombie & Fitch Price Performance

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock opened at $154.56 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.01. The stock has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29 and a beta of 1.52. Abercrombie & Fitch has a 1-year low of $86.91 and a 1-year high of $196.99.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The apparel retailer reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.18. Abercrombie & Fitch had a return on equity of 46.50% and a net margin of 11.16%. The company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 10.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abercrombie & Fitch

In related news, COO Scott D. Lipesky sold 8,605 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.20, for a total value of $1,292,471.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 97,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,697,070. This trade represents a 8.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Samir Desai sold 5,926 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.51, for a total transaction of $880,070.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,275,982.09. This trade represents a 21.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,401 shares of company stock valued at $2,631,741 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abercrombie & Fitch

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 81.5% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 274 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 156.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 279 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 604.4% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 317 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 8,914.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 631 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 66.1% during the 2nd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 741 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares in the last quarter.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company Profile

Abercrombie & Fitch Co, through its subsidiaries, operates as an omnichannel retailer in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and internationally. The company offers an assortment of apparel, personal care products, and accessories for men, women, and kids under the Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister, and Gilly Hicks brands.