American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.27.

AEO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Bank of America upped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 0.2 %

AEO opened at $22.38 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $23.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.81. The company has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.02, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.59. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $9.95 and a 52 week high of $26.44.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.11. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 3.23%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

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

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.14%.

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 on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.66, for a total value of $652,010.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 226,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,585,416.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 26,440 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $5,585,416.02. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 232,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,881,639. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 72,319 shares of company stock worth $1,732,938. Company insiders own 7.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 299.7% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,207 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.