American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.75.

A number of research firms have issued reports on AEO. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays lowered their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $14.00 to $20.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total value of $49,694.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total value of $48,651.36. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AEO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,398,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $485,166,000 after purchasing an additional 249,158 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,752,288 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $230,801,000 after buying an additional 77,758 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 5.1% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,649,952 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $113,781,000 after buying an additional 320,750 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,606,362 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $174,210,000 after buying an additional 39,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,000,419 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $158,231,000 after buying an additional 680,332 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $17.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $23.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $9.27 and a twelve month high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 3.49%.The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 44.64%.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc (NYSE: AEO) is a leading American specialty retailer offering apparel, accessories and personal care products for men and women. The company’s flagship brand, American Eagle, focuses on casualwear including denim, tops, outerwear and accessories targeted primarily at teens and young adults. In addition to its core apparel lines, the company operates the Aerie brand of intimates, loungewear and swimwear, which has gained recognition for its body-positive marketing and inclusive sizing.

American Eagle Outfitters conducts business through a combination of over 900 brick-and-mortar stores in North America and Greater China, complemented by a growing e-commerce platform that serves customers around the globe.