American Eagle Outfitters Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 52,300 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 534% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,248 put options.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEO traded down $0.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.30. The company had a trading volume of 2,305,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,850,754. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12-month low of $10.74 and a 12-month high of $26.25. The company has a fifty day moving average of $14.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.13. The company has a market cap of $2.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.66, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 29.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AEO shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,475 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% during 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. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 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.