American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Trading Up 3.3% – Here’s Why

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) traded up 3.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $18.22 and last traded at $17.78. 1,207,496 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 4,494,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.22.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AEO shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 2nd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $19.95 and its 200 day moving average is $20.85. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.52.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The apparel retailer reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.98% and a net margin of 4.58%. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, October 11th were given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jay L. Schottenstein sold 999,999 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total transaction of $20,039,979.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,771,851 shares in the company, valued at $35,507,894.04. The trade was a 36.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,283 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.49, for a total value of $49,061.67. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,050,702 shares of company stock worth $21,148,718. 7.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AEO. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 2nd quarter worth $78,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the second quarter valued at approximately $108,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 2nd quarter valued at $140,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by 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.