American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Shares Down 1.2% - Here's Why

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) dropped 1.2% on Friday . The company traded as low as $17.10 and last traded at $17.15. Approximately 724,478 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 4,660,420 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.35.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.00 price objective (down previously from $27.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Raymond James started coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Friday. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. UBS Group reduced 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. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 1.2 %

The company has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.51. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $19.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.28.

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. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 4.28%. The firm's revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. American Eagle Outfitters's payout ratio is presently 42.74%.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, CEO Jay L. Schottenstein sold 999,999 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total transaction of $20,039,979.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,771,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,507,894.04. This represents a 36.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,283 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.49, for a total value of $49,061.67. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,050,702 shares of company stock valued at $21,148,718. Company insiders own 7.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Leeward Investments LLC MA boosted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 5.7% in the second quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 350,495 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $6,996,000 after purchasing an additional 18,795 shares during the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 46.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,412 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $667,000 after purchasing an additional 10,614 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $222,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,399,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 1.1% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 93,000 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.