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Academy Sports and Outdoors (ASO) AI Stock Analysis

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ASO

Academy Sports and Outdoors

(NASDAQ:ASO)

Select Model
Rating:69Neutral
Price Target:$68.00â–²(11.73% Upside)
Action:reiterated
Date:09/15/26

ASO scores well on valuation and a constructive earnings outlook (raised EPS and margin guidance), supported by a strong technical uptrend. The main constraints are normalized/eroded margins versus prior peak years, moderate leverage for a retailer, and momentum indicators that are currently overbought, increasing near-term volatility risk.

Positive Factors
E-commerce ExpansionRapid digital sales growth and rising online penetration strengthen Academy’s omnichannel model and broaden customer access. Storefronts on delivery platforms, AI-based search, and retail media investments can improve discovery, engagement, and long-term productivity across channels.
Negative Factors
Margin NormalizationProfitability remains positive but is materially below prior peak levels, indicating that pricing pressure, promotions, or cost inflation have reduced earnings quality. Lower structural margins leave less operating leverage and make future profit growth more dependent on sales execution and cost control.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Total StoresIndicates the number of retail locations, providing insight into the company's market presence and expansion strategy. More stores can signal growth and increased customer reach.

0.00100.00200.00300.00Mar 21Jun 21Sep 21Dec 21Mar 22Jun 22Sep 22Dec 22Mar 23Jun 23Sep 23Dec 23Mar 24Jun 24Sep 24Dec 24Mar 25Jun 25Sep 25Dec 25Mar 26Jun 26
Chart Insights

The footprint has shifted from slow, steady expansion to a material acceleration in openings over the last 18–24 months, aligning with management’s back‑half rollout cadence. That growth underpins the loyalty and omnichannel push and helps explain the e‑commerce tailwind, but it also creates near‑term risk: concentrated opening costs could pressure SG&A and operating leverage, and with units-per-store softening plus tariff/fuel margin headwinds, investors should watch whether new stores drive durable sales density or simply add cost.

Data provided by:The Fly

Academy Sports and Outdoors (ASO) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-10%0%10%20%30%40%ASO+33.66%SPY+12.53%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$3.75B
Dividend Yield
0.95%
Average Volume (3M)
1.70M
Price to Earnings (P/E)
9.9
Beta (1Y)
1.09
Revenue Growth
3.68%
EPS Growth
12.68%
Country
US
Employees
22,000
Sector
Consumer Cyclical
Sector Strength
61
Industry
Specialty Retail

Academy Sports and Outdoors Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc., through its various subsidiaries, operates as a significant retailer of sporting goods and outdoor recreational products throughout the United States. The company offers a vast and diverse inventory, encompassing ev...

How the Company Makes Money

Academy Sports + Outdoors generates revenue primarily by selling merchandise to consumers through its physical stores and online channels. Its core revenue streams come from product category sales such as (1) sports and recreation goods (e.g., equipm...

Academy Sports and Outdoors Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Sep 08, 2026(Q2-2026)|% Change Since:36.53%|Next Earnings Date:Dec 02, 2026
Earnings Call SentimentPositive

The call was broadly constructive. Academy reported sales, earnings, e-commerce, credit-card, cash-flow, new-store, and strategic-initiative progress, reaffirmed sales guidance, and raised gross-margin and EPS guidance. These strengths were tempered by a slightly negative Q2 comp, worsening traffic among households earning less than $50,000, footwear and softgoods pressure, higher promotional activity, elevated fuel and freight costs, and the non-recurring nature of tariff-refund benefits. Overall, the positive operating and financial developments significantly outweighed the stated challenges.

Positive Updates

Second-Quarter Sales Growth and Guidance Reaffirmed
Second-quarter sales were $1.6 billion, up 3% in total, while full-year sales guidance was reaffirmed at $6.23 billion-$6.36 billion, representing growth of 3%-5%. Comparable sales guidance remains flat to +2% for fiscal 2026.

Negative Updates

Slightly Negative Second-Quarter Comparable Sales
Second-quarter comparable sales declined 0.4%. May and June sales were up 2% in total but down 1% on a comp basis. The two-year comp stack for Q2 remained slightly negative.

Company Guidance

Management reaffirmed fiscal 2026 sales guidance of $6.23 billion-$6.36 billion, or growth of 3%-5%, and comp sales of flat to +2%; raised gross margin rate guidance to 35.5%-36.0%; affirmed net income guidance of $390 million-$415 million; raised earnings per share guidance to $6.05-$6.45 and adjusted earnings per share to $6.50-$6.90; and expects adjusted free cash flow of $300 million-$350 million. At the midpoint, total sales are expected to be up 4%, comp sales to be up approximately 1%, gross margin expansion of 100 basis points, net income to grow by approximately 7%, and EPS growth of over 12% when compared to fiscal year 2025. The company expects fall gross margin roughly flat, 22-24 stores this year, 11 additional stores in Q3, and continued share repurchases, though not to the same level as the first half of the year; its long-range plan calls for a 5% sales CAGR, double digit EPS growth, and high single digit unitary growth over the next five years.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Financial statements point to solid but not best-in-class fundamentals: revenue rebounded sharply and profitability remains positive, but margins and returns are meaningfully below 2022–2023 peaks. Leverage is moderate for a retailer (debt-to-equity ~0.92) and improving, while cash generation is strong in absolute terms yet cash conversion and consistency are only moderate.

Income Statement

66Positive

Balance Sheet

60Neutral

Cash Flow

58Neutral
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMJan 2026Jan 2025Jan 2024Jan 2023Jan 2022
Income Statement
Total Revenue6.19B6.05B5.93B6.16B6.40B6.77B
Gross Profit2.22B2.11B2.01B2.11B2.21B2.35B
EBITDA723.48M645.14M693.17M820.14M971.52M1.01B
Net Income395.85M376.77M418.45M519.19M628.00M671.38M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets5.51B5.28B4.90B4.68B4.60B4.58B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments298.21M330.32M288.93M347.92M337.14M486.00M
Total Debt1.97B1.89B1.79B1.70B1.77B1.84B
Total Liabilities3.33B3.11B2.90B2.72B2.97B3.12B
Stockholders Equity2.18B2.17B2.00B1.95B1.63B1.47B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow330.88M222.13M328.49M327.49M443.20M597.25M
Operating Cash Flow547.77M434.80M528.08M535.78M552.00M673.26M
Investing Cash Flow-175.60M-172.04M-186.12M-206.14M-108.81M-76.02M
Financing Cash Flow-374.82M-221.37M-400.95M-318.87M-592.05M-488.85M

Academy Sports and Outdoors Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentPositive
Last Price60.86

Price Trends

50DMA51.63Positive
100DMA49.84Positive
200DMA52.54Positive

Market Momentum

MACD2.63Positive
RSI69.03Neutral
STOCH59.38Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ASO, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 60.86 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 57.56, above the 50-day MA of 51.63, and above the 200-day MA of 52.54, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 2.63 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 69.03 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 59.38 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ASO.

Academy Sports and Outdoors Risk Analysis

Academy Sports and Outdoors disclosed 43 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Academy Sports and Outdoors reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.

Higher RiskSector Avg.Lower RiskFinance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

Latest Risks Added

0 New Risks

Academy Sports and Outdoors Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)

Financial Indicators

ASO against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
AMZNAMZN74Outperform$2.66T19.9926.71%―15.35%73.92%
FIVEFIVE74Outperform$13.16B21.0327.73%―25.56%126.16%
ASOASO69Neutral$3.81B9.9418.38%0.95%3.68%12.68%
Sector *61Neutral$18.38B12.79-2.54%3.03%1.52%-15.83%
TSCOTSCO60Neutral$18.40B18.8737.64%2.71%3.53%-10.44%
DKSDKS58Neutral$12.65B14.4614.99%3.62%53.54%-35.49%
SPWHSPWH51Neutral$42.66M-0.94-26.33%―0.84%-26.47%

* Consumer Cyclical Sector Average

Performance Comparison

-50%0%50%ASOAMZNDKSTSCOFIVESPWHDec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
ASO and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
ASOAcademy Sports And Outdoors, Inc.60.8614.1530.29%
AMZNAmazon.Com, Inc.250.690.490.20%
DKSDick's Sporting Goods Inc137.08-76.03-35.68%
TSCOTractor Supply Company35.10-17.55-33.34%
FIVEFive Below Inc236.1980.2551.46%
SPWHSportsman's Warehouse1.16-1.17-50.21%

Academy Sports and Outdoors Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackDividendsFinancial Disclosures

Academy Sports Posts Strong Q2 Growth, Raises EPS Outlook

Positive
Sep 9, 2026

Academy Sports and Outdoors reported on September 9, 2026 that net sales for the second quarter ended August 1, 2026 rose 3.0% to $1.65 billion, with e-commerce revenue up 12.8%, while comparable sales declined 0.4%. Diluted GAAP EPS increased 17.3%...

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Sep 15, 2026