Short Interest in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Declines By 13.3%

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the target of a large drop in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 14,336,397 shares, a drop of 13.3% from the February 26th total of 16,526,500 shares. Currently, 9.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 8,364,149 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AEO. Citigroup upped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $14.00 to $20.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of AEO stock opened at $17.33 on Thursday. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $9.27 and a twelve month high of $28.46. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.39.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 3.49%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.64%.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total value of $49,694.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total transaction of $48,651.36. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at $407,000. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,426,000. XTX Topco Ltd grew its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 59.6% in the 2nd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 108,644 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after buying an additional 40,563 shares during the last quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at about $4,165,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 212.2% in the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 230,312 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,216,000 after buying an additional 156,544 shares during the period. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc (NYSE: AEO) is a leading American specialty retailer offering apparel, accessories and personal care products for men and women. The company’s flagship brand, American Eagle, focuses on casualwear including denim, tops, outerwear and accessories targeted primarily at teens and young adults. In addition to its core apparel lines, the company operates the Aerie brand of intimates, loungewear and swimwear, which has gained recognition for its body-positive marketing and inclusive sizing.

American Eagle Outfitters conducts business through a combination of over 900 brick-and-mortar stores in North America and Greater China, complemented by a growing e-commerce platform that serves customers around the globe.