American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Trading 3.3% Higher – Still a Buy?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)’s share price traded up 3.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $12.12 and last traded at $12.23. 1,634,714 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 4,687,950 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup set a $13.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Barclays cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $17.00 to $10.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 2.6 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $14.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.31.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.12%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is 29.76%.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In other 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 transaction of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth about $931,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,731,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,680,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 137.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,358 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter valued at about $378,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.