American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.00.

A number of research firms have recently commented on AEO. Bank of America lowered their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 3.2 %

AEO opened at $14.48 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.37, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a 50 day moving average of $16.65 and a 200-day moving average of $18.93. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $14.47 and a 52 week high of $26.44.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 4.28%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th were issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 42.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Investors Research Corp boosted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 46,239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,035,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 2.1% during the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 49,669 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 13,036 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,082 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at $32,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Eagle Outfitters

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc operates as a multi-brand specialty retailer in the United States and internationally. The company provides jeans, apparel and accessories, and personal care products for women and men under the American Eagle brand; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections under the Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie brands.