American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on AEO. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. William Blair reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $22.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $24.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.91.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 0.9%

AEO stock opened at $16.16 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.32. American Eagle Outfitters has a one year low of $12.05 and a one year high of $28.46. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $17.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.55.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The apparel retailer reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.03. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.29) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.86%.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director David M. Sable sold 5,779 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $99,572.17. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $921,477.63. This trade represents a 9.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.78, for a total value of $48,527.76. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,563 shares of company stock worth $196,599. 8.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.