American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered 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 report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered American Eagle Outfitters from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $16.86 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $21.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.93. American Eagle Outfitters has a fifty-two week low of $9.27 and a fifty-two week high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total value of $48,651.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total transaction of $49,694.16. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 162,243 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,885,000 after acquiring an additional 32,191 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 105,726 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 4,599 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 1,238.2% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 52,551 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $611,000 after purchasing an additional 48,624 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 9.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,937 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 265.8% during the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 422,754 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,067,000 after purchasing an additional 307,171 shares during the last quarter. 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.