American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Upgraded at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $16.00 price objective on the apparel retailer’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $15.00.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Raymond James started coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com lowered American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of AEO opened at $17.33 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $17.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.38. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $15.36 and a twelve month high of $26.44. The stock 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.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 20.75%. American Eagle Outfitters’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. Analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at approximately $141,000. Institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

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.