American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Stock Price Up 6.9% - Time to Buy?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 6.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $17.15 and last traded at $17.14. Approximately 1,047,723 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 4,401,663 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.03.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AEO. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com lowered American Eagle Outfitters from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $15.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.53. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.41.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. American Eagle Outfitters's payout ratio is 42.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AEO. Investors Research Corp grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 46,239 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,035,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 2.1% in the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 49,669 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth $32,000. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 4.3% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 35,395 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,840 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 1,446 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company's stock.

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.