American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Research Coverage Started at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued a hold rating on the apparel retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America increased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $21.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

AEO stock opened at $16.12 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.01. American Eagle Outfitters has a 1 year low of $9.27 and a 1 year high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.54 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total value of $48,651.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total transaction of $49,694.16. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 50.0% during the 3rd 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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 177.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,774 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,852 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

About American Eagle Outfitters

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.