American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Receives $21.75 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) have been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the sixteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.75.

AEO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $21.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE AEO opened at $17.76 on Wednesday. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $9.27 and a 52 week high of $28.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.50.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is presently 44.64%.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total transaction of $50,002.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $49,743.01. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,670 shares of company stock valued at $148,397. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 50.0% during the third quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,500 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

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.