Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF) Short Interest Update

Abercrombie & Fitch Company (NYSE:ANF) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,653,140 shares, a decline of 17.9% from the December 31st total of 4,449,512 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,253,803 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Approximately 8.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 8.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,253,803 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Up 3.9%

NYSE ANF traded up $3.81 during trading on Monday, reaching $101.44. 1,388,737 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,833,507. Abercrombie & Fitch has a fifty-two week low of $65.40 and a fifty-two week high of $133.11. The firm has a market cap of $4.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 1.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $109.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.61.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The apparel retailer reported $2.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.22. Abercrombie & Fitch had a net margin of 10.07% and a return on equity of 38.01%. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Abercrombie & Fitch will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Fran Horowitz sold 103,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.53, for a total transaction of $10,168,296.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 605,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,640,504.59. This represents a 14.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abercrombie & Fitch

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ANF. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,781,446 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $601,841,000 after purchasing an additional 94,697 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,978,142 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $163,889,000 after buying an additional 22,215 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 5,749.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,194,013 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $102,148,000 after buying an additional 1,173,601 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 41.2% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,176,990 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $100,691,000 after acquiring an additional 343,288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 102.5% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,094,023 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $92,940,000 after acquiring an additional 553,889 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ANF has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $94.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $130.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Monday, January 5th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $78.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Abercrombie & Fitch has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.60.

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.