American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Given “Market Perform” Rating at Telsey Advisory Group

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating restated by equities research analysts at Telsey Advisory Group in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $25.00 price objective on the apparel retailer’s stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 10.57% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $31.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Citigroup boosted their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 4.2 %

AEO stock opened at $22.61 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $24.03 and a 200-day moving average of $21.89. The company has a market cap of $4.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.60. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12-month low of $9.95 and a 12-month high of $26.44.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.11. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 17.76%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.37 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 1st that authorizes the company to buyback 30,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the apparel retailer to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 26,440 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.66, for a total value of $652,010.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 226,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,585,416.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.59, for a total value of $46,917.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 26,440 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.66, for a total transaction of $652,010.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 226,497 shares in the company, valued at $5,585,416.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 52,319 shares of company stock worth $1,312,938. 7.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 299.7% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,207 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 6,980.0% during the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,416 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396 shares in the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American Eagle Outfitters

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc operates as a multi-brand specialty retailer in the United States and internationally. The company provides jeans, apparel and accessories, and personal care products for women and men under the American Eagle brand; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections under the Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie brands.