American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $16.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AEO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays lowered shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $17.00 to $10.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Raymond James started coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 7.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 1,510.1% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,509,057 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $41,826,000 after acquiring an additional 2,353,225 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,267,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,408.1% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 1,244,008 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $20,738,000 after purchasing an additional 1,194,408 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at $17,558,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 868,408.0% during the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 868,508 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $14,478,000 after purchasing an additional 868,408 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $11.42 on Friday. American Eagle Outfitters has a 1 year low of $10.74 and a 1 year high of $26.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $13.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.07. The company has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.38%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 29.76%.

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.