American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $19.9091.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $24.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $22.00 price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.78, for a total value of $48,527.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David M. Sable sold 5,779 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $99,572.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $921,477.63. This trade represents a 9.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 11,563 shares of company stock worth $196,599. 8.95% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,000,419 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $158,231,000 after acquiring an additional 680,332 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 151,993.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 65,400 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,725,000 after purchasing an additional 65,357 shares during the last quarter. Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the first quarter worth about $2,973,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the first quarter worth about $5,490,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,398,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $485,166,000 after purchasing an additional 249,158 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 1.4%

AEO stock opened at $18.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of 11.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $12.05 and a twelve month high of $28.46. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.35 and its 200-day moving average is $18.79.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The apparel retailer reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 5.01%.American Eagle Outfitters’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.29) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.86%.

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.