Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 22.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,232,299 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 358,986 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $20,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 24.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 162,243 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,885,000 after purchasing an additional 32,191 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 105,726 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 4,599 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 1,238.2% in the 1st 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 during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 9.6% in the 1st 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 during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 349.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 538,681 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $5,182,000 after buying an additional 418,943 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,892 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.78, for a total value of $48,527.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,892 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.77, for a total transaction of $48,498.84. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 8.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. William Blair reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $22.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $16.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.91.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AEO opened at $17.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.65. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.02 and a twelve month high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The apparel retailer reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.03. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 5.01%.The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.29) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.86%.

American Eagle Outfitters 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.