Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Makes New $2.54 Million Investment in Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,990 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,539,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch during the second quarter valued at approximately $428,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the 2nd quarter worth $786,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,766 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $3,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,634 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in Abercrombie & Fitch by 1,365.4% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 34,232 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $5,975,000 after purchasing an additional 31,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Abercrombie & Fitch in the second quarter valued at about $5,140,000.

Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Performance

Shares of ANF stock opened at $130.34 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a PE ratio of 12.89 and a beta of 1.52. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a fifty-two week low of $95.51 and a fifty-two week high of $196.99.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The apparel retailer reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.18. Abercrombie & Fitch had a net margin of 11.16% and a return on equity of 46.50%. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.83 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will post 10.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $149.00 to $139.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $201.00 to $204.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abercrombie & Fitch

In other Abercrombie & Fitch news, COO Scott D. Lipesky sold 8,605 shares of Abercrombie & Fitch stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.20, for a total value of $1,292,471.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 97,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,697,070. The trade was a 8.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Samir Desai sold 5,926 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.51, for a total transaction of $880,070.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,059 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,275,982.09. The trade was a 21.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 17,401 shares of company stock worth $2,631,741. Insiders own 2.58% of the company’s stock.

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.