American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Trading Up 3.3% – Should You Buy?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) shares were up 3.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $12.12 and last traded at $12.23. Approximately 1,634,714 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 4,687,950 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on AEO shares. StockNews.com downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. UBS Group cut 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. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 3.1 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $14.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.39.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.10%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AEO. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,475 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

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.