MML Investors Services LLC Buys 8,851 Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) by 214.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,971 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,851 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch were worth $1,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC increased its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 242.6% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 531 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 481.5% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,613 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,710,000 after purchasing an additional 7,960 shares during the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 84.3% during the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,496 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 2,056 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch during the second quarter valued at $265,000. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 502,400 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $89,347,000 after buying an additional 76,900 shares in the last quarter.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock opened at $146.86 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $145.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.48. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a 52 week low of $83.50 and a 52 week high of $196.99. The company has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Insider Transactions at Abercrombie & Fitch

In other news, EVP Samir Desai sold 5,926 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $3,275,982.09. This represents a 21.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Coulter sold 2,870 shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $459,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,024,800. The trade was a 30.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 17,401 shares of company stock valued at $2,631,741. 2.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ANF has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Raymond James initiated coverage on Abercrombie & Fitch in a research note on Friday, December 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $194.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $170.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.38.

About Abercrombie & Fitch

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.