Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 38.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,429 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 60,907 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $2,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEO. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 920.6% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,497,720 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $94,066,000 after purchasing an additional 4,959,039 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $23,395,000. Kinetic Partners Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $14,618,000. M&T Bank Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $21,413,000. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $11,051,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $49,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total value of $50,002.84. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 0.2%

American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $16.58 on Friday. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.27 and a 12-month high of $28.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.19 and a 200 day moving average of $21.08.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.45.

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.