Traders Purchase Large Volume of American Eagle Outfitters Put Options (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors acquired 21,213 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 214% compared to the average daily volume of 6,762 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AEO shares. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays lowered shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $17.00 to $10.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “underperform” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.50.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock traded down $0.23 during trading on Thursday, reaching $11.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,453,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,597,084. American Eagle Outfitters has a one year low of $10.08 and a one year high of $26.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $15.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.46%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is 42.74%.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total transaction of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 7.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,475 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,463 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

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.