Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $2.15 Million in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 129,234 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,154,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 1,475 shares during the last quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 171,943 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,866,000 after buying an additional 1,615 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 12,942 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the period. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

NYSE:AEO opened at $10.53 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of 9.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.40. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.45 and a 52-week high of $25.15.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th were issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is 29.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AEO. StockNews.com cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $17.00 to $10.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.50.

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.