American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO – Get Rating) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $27.31.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AEO shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $42.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on American Eagle Outfitters to $34.00 and set a “na” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 3rd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $29.00 to $22.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 7th.

NYSE:AEO traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $13.58. The company had a trading volume of 365,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,402,631. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $13.33 and a 52 week high of $38.99. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 6.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.37.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 8.37%. American Eagle Outfitters’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.39 EPS. Analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 11th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.47%.

In related news, Director Steven A. Davis purchased 5,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.12 per share, for a total transaction of $99,660.00. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew J. Mclean sold 24,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total value of $449,244.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 53,343 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $960,174. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 21,593,679 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $546,752,000 after acquiring an additional 1,972,630 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 31.7% during the 1st quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 7,760,030 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $130,369,000 after buying an additional 1,869,390 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 135.2% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,981,091 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $50,083,000 after buying an additional 1,713,420 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,469,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the first quarter worth $22,096,000.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile (Get Rating)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc operates as a specialty retailer that provides clothing, accessories, and personal care products under the American Eagle and Aerie brands. The company provides jeans, and specialty apparel and accessories for women and men; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections, as well as personal care products for women.

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