American Eagle Outfitters Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 52,300 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 534% compared to the average volume of 8,248 put options.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 5.1 %

American Eagle Outfitters stock traded up $0.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $12.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,059,307 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,882,436. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12 month low of $10.74 and a 12 month high of $26.25. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $13.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.99. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 7.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,475 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,463 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on AEO. UBS Group dropped their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Citigroup set a $13.00 price target on American Eagle Outfitters and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lowered their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Barclays cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $17.00 to $10.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $16.00.

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.