American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Stock Price Down 0.5% – Time to Sell?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) shares were down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $17.31 and last traded at $17.62. Approximately 1,053,914 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 4,645,818 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.70.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on AEO shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $23.00 target price (down previously from $27.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on 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. StockNews.com lowered American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 0.3 %

The company’s fifty day moving average is $19.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.30. The stock has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.51.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 20.75%. The company’s revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued 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 2.83%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 42.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,283 shares of the business’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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jay L. Schottenstein sold 999,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total transaction of $20,039,979.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,771,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,507,894.04. This represents a 36.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,050,702 shares of company stock worth $21,148,718 over the last 90 days. 7.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 688,869 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $14,266,000 after acquiring an additional 15,038 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at $141,000. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 51.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 298,263 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $6,679,000 after buying an additional 101,795 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at about $931,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter worth about $390,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.