American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $22.4545.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 6.4%

Shares of AEO stock opened at $23.65 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.61 and a beta of 1.42. American Eagle Outfitters has a 1 year low of $9.27 and a 1 year high of $28.46. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.10. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 3.90%.The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th were paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.10%.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total value of $5,906,042.10. Following the transaction, the insider owned 191,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,659,549.30. This trade represents a 55.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total transaction of $48,651.36. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 246,839 shares of company stock worth $6,004,388. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 920.6% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,497,720 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $94,066,000 after acquiring an additional 4,959,039 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth $40,954,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 153.1% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,410,162 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $63,556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457,785 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter worth $23,395,000. Finally, Kinetic Partners Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter worth $14,618,000. 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.