American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays dropped their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $14.00 to $20.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 3.3%

AEO opened at $17.57 on Tuesday. American Eagle Outfitters has a 1-year low of $9.27 and a 1-year high of $28.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.39. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $24.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.81.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 44.64%.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 at the SEC website. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total value of $49,694.16. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AEO. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.