American Eagle Outfitters Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 15,934 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 73% compared to the average daily volume of 9,209 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AEO shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Bank of America initiated coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Friday, August 14th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.55.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Noel Spiegel sold 3,617 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.68, for a total transaction of $63,948.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Cary McMillan sold 3,617 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.20, for a total transaction of $65,829.40. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 8.95% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AEO. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the second quarter worth about $36,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 31.9% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,870 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the second quarter worth about $57,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of AEO stock opened at $19.58 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 1.28. American Eagle Outfitters has a 1 year low of $14.10 and a 1 year high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The apparel retailer reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 23.63%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters will post 2.24 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th were issued a dividend of $0.1250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.51%.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc is a specialty retailer that designs, markets and sells apparel, accessories and personal-care products. The company serves teens and young adults through its American Eagle brand, which offers casual clothing including jeans, tops, outerwear, underwear and related accessories.

American Eagle Outfitters also operates Aerie, a lifestyle brand focused on intimates, activewear, swimwear, loungewear and apparel, as well as OFFLINE by Aerie, which emphasizes active and leisure clothing.