Congress Asset Management Co. Sells 1,151,964 Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)

Congress Asset Management Co. trimmed its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Free Report) by 21.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,193,786 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 1,151,964 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned approximately 2.18% of American Eagle Outfitters worth $69,910,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AEO. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $931,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $3,731,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $2,680,000. Dupree Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at about $3,146,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,557,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 7.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

American Eagle Outfitters stock traded down $0.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $14.47. 3,464,884 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,173,189. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.53. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.07 and a 12 month high of $26.44. The business's 50-day moving average is $16.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.68.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last issued 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 firm 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%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th were paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. American Eagle Outfitters's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Barclays reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

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.