American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Sets New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $28.32 and last traded at $28.2240, with a volume of 1814492 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $26.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AEO. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price target on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup raised their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.82.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 5.5%

The company has a market capitalization of $4.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.43 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $21.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.61.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.48 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 43.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total transaction of $5,906,042.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 8.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AEO. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 50.0% in the third quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,500 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter worth $39,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 8,432.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 2,361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 1,655.3% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 2,475 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 2,334 shares during the period. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About American Eagle Outfitters

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.