American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Price Target Raised to $21.00

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) had its target price lifted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $19.00 to $21.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the apparel retailer’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on AEO. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $22.00 price target on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.09.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AEO opened at $16.00 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.68 billion, a PE ratio of 9.88, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.32. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $17.26 and a 200 day moving average of $18.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.55. American Eagle Outfitters has a one year low of $12.05 and a one year high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The apparel retailer reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.03. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.29) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David M. Sable sold 5,779 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $99,572.17. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $921,477.63. This represents a 9.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,892 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.78, for a total transaction of $48,527.76. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 11,563 shares of company stock worth $196,599. 8.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 24.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 162,243 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,885,000 after buying an additional 32,191 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 105,726 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after buying an additional 4,599 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1,238.2% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 52,551 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 48,624 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,937 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $185,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 349.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 538,681 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $5,182,000 after acquiring an additional 418,943 shares during the period. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Eagle Outfitters

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.