Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $176.57.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ANF. UBS Group decreased their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $193.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Argus lowered shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $167.00 to $194.00 in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $155.00 to $147.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th.

Insider Activity at Abercrombie & Fitch

In other Abercrombie & Fitch news, CFO Scott D. Lipesky sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.80, for a total value of $1,321,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 106,455 shares in the company, valued at $15,627,594. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Samir Desai sold 19,041 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.36, for a total transaction of $2,501,225.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,676,109.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott D. Lipesky sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.80, for a total transaction of $1,321,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 106,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,627,594. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,541 shares of company stock worth $4,310,256 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Abercrombie & Fitch

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 146.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 863,100 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $153,494,000 after buying an additional 512,700 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch during the 4th quarter worth $37,632,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 2,036.5% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 419,560 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $74,615,000 after acquiring an additional 399,922 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,897,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 613.3% during the first quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 356,610 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $44,694,000 after purchasing an additional 306,616 shares in the last quarter.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ANF opened at $135.47 on Thursday. Abercrombie & Fitch has a 52 week low of $49.24 and a 52 week high of $196.99. The firm has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $150.96 and its 200-day moving average is $146.70.

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.