Brokerages Set American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Target Price at $16.00

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $16.00.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup set a $13.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America cut their price objective 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. Barclays lowered American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $17.00 to $10.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com lowered American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of American Eagle Outfitters 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 7.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,223,953 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $170,431,000 after purchasing an additional 413,193 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,933,628 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $165,594,000 after buying an additional 184,067 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,505,340 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $91,774,000 after buying an additional 472,683 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,918,295 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $65,341,000 after acquiring an additional 226,821 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,877,963 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $47,976,000 after acquiring an additional 381,047 shares during the period. 97.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 4.6 %

Shares of NYSE AEO opened at $10.93 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.80. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $9.80 and a twelve month high of $25.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 9.34, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 29.76%.

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.