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

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.4545.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AEO shares. Barclays raised their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $14.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price target on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,945 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction on Friday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.95, for a total transaction of $49,917.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total value of $5,906,042.10. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 191,751 shares in the company, valued at $4,659,549.30. The trade was a 55.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 50.0% in the third quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,500 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 68.8% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,116 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 1,270 shares during the period. Oberweis Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,281,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at $188,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

Shares of AEO opened at $26.31 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $20.57 and its 200-day moving average is $15.90. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12-month low of $9.27 and a 12-month high of $28.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.68 and a beta of 1.44.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.32 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.90% and a return on equity of 13.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.10%.

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.