Insider Selling: American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Director Sells $48,651.36 in Stock

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the firm’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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of AEO opened at $24.10 on Monday. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $9.27 and a fifty-two week high of $28.46. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.82 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.63.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th were given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 target price on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $14.00 to $20.00 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 given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.45.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,500 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 177.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,774 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter worth about $36,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 8,432.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,361 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% 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.