Analysts Set American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) PT at $21.00

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.00.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AEO shares. Morgan Stanley cut American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $15.59 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.53. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.02. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $15.36 and a twelve month high of $26.44.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 20.75%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th were issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 42.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the firm’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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AEO. Investors Research Corp lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 46,239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,035,000 after buying an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 2.1% in the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 49,669 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,033 shares during the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 35,395 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 1,443 shares during the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.