American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 45.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 55,334 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 46,915 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $947,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,329,202 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $60,887,000 after acquiring an additional 312,168 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 50.7% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,433,460 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $13,791,000 after purchasing an additional 482,534 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 997,360 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $9,595,000 after buying an additional 86,241 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 37.1% in the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 862,000 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $8,292,000 after buying an additional 233,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. increased its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 96.6% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 861,970 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $8,292,000 after buying an additional 423,449 shares during the period. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $25.07 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.27 and a 12-month high of $28.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a PE ratio of 21.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $25.57 and its 200-day moving average is $19.84.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.10. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 3.90%.The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th were paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AEO. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note 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 target price on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $23.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total transaction of $48,651.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total value of $5,906,042.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 191,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,659,549.30. This represents a 55.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 246,839 shares of company stock worth $6,004,388. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

About American Eagle Outfitters

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.