American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Hits New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $15.06 and last traded at $15.01, with a volume of 679707 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AEO shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $17.00 price target (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Eagle Outfitters presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $21.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.53. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $16.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.86.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 20.75%. The firm had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th were given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. American Eagle Outfitters's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.74%.

Insider Activity

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the company's 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 7.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,475 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 2,463 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 137.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,358 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 1,944 shares in the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.