Short Interest in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Drops By 13.3%

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 14,336,397 shares, a decline of 13.3% from the February 26th total of 16,526,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 8,364,149 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 9.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AEO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $14.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $21.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total value of $49,694.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total value of $48,651.36. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 249.4% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 69,941 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,855,000 after acquiring an additional 49,924 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 769,161 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $20,283,000 after purchasing an additional 71,858 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 21,207 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 5,441 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 757.0% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 96,674 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,575,000 after purchasing an additional 85,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CacheTech Inc. bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at $237,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $16.06 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $21.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.00. American Eagle Outfitters has a 1-year low of $9.27 and a 1-year high of $28.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.33, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.39.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 3.49%.The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 44.64%.

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.