American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Stock Price Up 6.9% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) rose 6.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $17.15 and last traded at $17.14. Approximately 1,047,723 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 4,401,663 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.03.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on AEO. Raymond James began coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $15.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a fifty day moving average of $17.28 and a 200-day moving average of $19.39.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 4.28%. The firm’s revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 42.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 511.9% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 430,860 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $7,182,000 after acquiring an additional 360,447 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,209 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 14,120 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 3,668 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in 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. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.