American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Hits New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $12.22 and last traded at $12.26, with a volume of 5931638 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.09.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on AEO shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on 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. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Raymond James began coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $20.44.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 0.6 %

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $15.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.15. The company has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.53.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 4.28%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. American Eagle Outfitters's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of American Eagle Outfitters 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 24,222 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $542,000 after purchasing an additional 3,209 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at about $233,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 7.5% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,840 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 1,446 shares during the last quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 41.9% during the 3rd quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC now owns 22,495 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $504,000 after buying an additional 6,646 shares during the period. Finally, Verity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $470,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.