American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $15.50.

Several equities analysts recently commented on AEO shares. Barclays cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $17.00 to $10.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Citigroup set a $13.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of AEO stock opened at $11.03 on Wednesday. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12 month low of $9.45 and a 12 month high of $25.15. The firm has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of 9.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $11.96 and a 200-day moving average of $15.79.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.54%. American Eagle Outfitters's dividend payout ratio is 29.76%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1,510.1% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,509,057 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $41,826,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353,225 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter valued at $35,267,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the first quarter worth $18,927,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,408.1% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 1,244,008 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $20,738,000 after acquiring an additional 1,194,408 shares during the period. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at about $17,558,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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