American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) in a report published on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a hold rating on the apparel retailer’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $23.00 target price on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $14.00 to $20.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEO opened at $16.09 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $22.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.01. The company has a market cap of $2.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.39. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12 month low of $9.27 and a 12 month high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 3.49%.The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. American Eagle Outfitters’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total transaction of $49,694.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total value of $48,651.36. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 8.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.