JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Stock Price

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Free Report) had its price objective decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $23.00 to $20.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the apparel retailer's stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on AEO. StockNews.com upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America lowered their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Raymond James started coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.10.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

American Eagle Outfitters stock traded down $0.23 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.49. 4,618,581 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,995,236. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $17.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.64. The company has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.53. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52-week low of $16.06 and a 52-week high of $26.44.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 4.28%. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.69 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. American Eagle Outfitters's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.74%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,283 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.49, for a total transaction of $49,061.67. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 7.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 3.4% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 60,500 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 1.9% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 52,537 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the second quarter valued at $240,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the second quarter worth about $8,790,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 2nd quarter valued at about $217,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.33% of the company's stock.

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.