American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Upgraded by Barclays to Equal Weight Rating

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) was upgraded by analysts at Barclays from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $19.00 price target on the apparel retailer’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 14.02% from the stock’s previous close.

AEO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group upped their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target 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. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

AEO opened at $16.66 on Wednesday. American Eagle Outfitters has a one year low of $9.27 and a one year high of $28.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $18.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.13.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $49,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total value of $50,002.84. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,398,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $485,166,000 after buying an additional 249,158 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 0.9% in the fourth 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 last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $113,781,000 after buying an additional 320,750 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings 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 valued at $174,210,000 after buying an additional 39,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,000,419 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $158,231,000 after buying an additional 680,332 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

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.