American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two 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 issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.4545.

AEO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Bank of America upped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Zacks Research raised American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insider Activity

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of American Eagle Outfitters 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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. 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. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 920.6% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,497,720 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $94,066,000 after buying an additional 4,959,039 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at approximately $23,395,000. Kinetic Partners Management LP bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at approximately $14,618,000. M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $21,413,000. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 41.7% during the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,307,326 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $22,196,000 after purchasing an additional 678,536 shares during the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

NYSE:AEO opened at $23.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 7.49 and a beta of 1.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $24.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.46. American Eagle Outfitters has a one year low of $9.27 and a one year high of $28.46. 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 posted 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 net margin of 3.90% and a return on equity of 13.82%. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.48 EPS. American Eagle Outfitters’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th were issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.10%.

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.