Fund 1 Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

Fund 1 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,500 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $224,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ANF. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 92.2% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 223 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 56.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 367 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 415 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch during the 4th quarter worth about $69,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Down 0.1 %

ANF stock opened at $73.20 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $75.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.93. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a 52-week low of $65.40 and a 52-week high of $196.99. The company has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of 7.24 and a beta of 1.47.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The apparel retailer reported $3.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.97 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Abercrombie & Fitch announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, March 5th that permits the company to buyback $1.30 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel retailer to buy up to 29.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on ANF shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays began coverage on Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Monday, April 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $71.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $168.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $135.00 to $98.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.63.

Abercrombie & Fitch 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.