Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of American Eagle Outfitters Call Options (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors purchased 77,823 call options on the company. This is an increase of 295% compared to the typical volume of 19,702 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total transaction of $5,906,042.10. Following the sale, the insider owned 191,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,659,549.30. This trade represents a 55.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 41.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,307,326 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $22,196,000 after purchasing an additional 678,536 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd grew its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 59.6% in the second quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 108,644 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 40,563 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 170.8% in the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 41,165 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 25,962 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 212.2% in the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 230,312 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,216,000 after purchasing an additional 156,544 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter worth approximately $895,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 3.5%

AEO stock opened at $26.77 on Friday. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12-month low of $9.27 and a 12-month high of $28.46. The business’s 50-day moving average is $22.68 and its 200 day moving average is $17.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market cap of $4.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.07 and a beta of 1.39.

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

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 presently 43.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.18.

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.