Investors Buy Large Volume of American Eagle Outfitters Call Options (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 17,703 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 95% compared to the average daily volume of 9,066 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AEO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Barclays cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $17.00 to $10.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Raymond James started coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.00.

Insider Activity

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased 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 acquiring an additional 1,475 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,463 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

NYSE AEO traded up $0.58 on Tuesday, hitting $12.20. The company had a trading volume of 5,152,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,873,946. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12-month low of $10.74 and a 12-month high of $26.25. The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 10.39, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $13.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.99.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 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.