NFJ Investment Group LLC Purchases Shares of 637,302 American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO

NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 637,302 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $10,962,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,000,419 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $158,231,000 after buying an additional 680,332 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 151,993.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 65,400 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,725,000 after buying an additional 65,357 shares in the last quarter. Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,973,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the first quarter valued at approximately $5,490,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,398,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $485,166,000 after acquiring an additional 249,158 shares in the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,892 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.78, for a total transaction of $48,527.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,892 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.77, for a total transaction of $48,498.84. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,563 shares of company stock valued at $196,599. Insiders own 8.95% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 4.0%

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $16.00 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.05 and a 52-week high of $28.46. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $17.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.32.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The apparel retailer reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.29) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AEO shares. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Monday, July 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $22.00 price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.09.

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.