Stevens Capital Management LP Makes New $529,000 Investment in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,539 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $529,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 92.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 223 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 604.4% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 317 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 56.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 367 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch during the 4th quarter worth $69,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Price Performance

NYSE:ANF opened at $79.35 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $106.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.42. The stock has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.85 and a beta of 1.45. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a 1-year low of $74.31 and a 1-year high of $196.99.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. Abercrombie & Fitch had a net margin of 11.16% and a return on equity of 46.50%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.97 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Abercrombie & Fitch declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, March 5th that permits the company to repurchase $1.30 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the apparel retailer to purchase up to 29.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on ANF. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $190.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $220.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $149.00 to $139.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Raymond James set a $110.00 price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.88.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company Profile

Abercrombie & Fitch Co engages in the retail of apparel, personal care products, and accessories. The firm operates through following geographical segments: Americas, EMEA and APAC. The Americas segment includes operations in North America and South America. The EMEA segment includes operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.