American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 22.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,591,285 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 467,266 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $41,962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,398,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $485,166,000 after buying an additional 249,158 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 5.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,649,952 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $113,781,000 after buying an additional 320,750 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 920.6% during the third 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. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 4.2% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,493,902 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $25,561,000 after buying an additional 60,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $23,395,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:AEO opened at $16.65 on Friday. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.27 and a 1-year high of $28.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.15.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. American Eagle Outfitters’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th were given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 10th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total value of $50,002.84. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $21.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Zacks Research cut American Eagle Outfitters from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

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.