American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO Shares Sold by Polaris Capital Management LLC

Polaris Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 41.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 52,700 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 36,900 shares during the quarter. Polaris Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $902,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AEO. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the second quarter valued at $35,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 151.0% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,848 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 2,315 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 220.5% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 5,843 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 4,020 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 43.3% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 5,978 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 1,805 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total transaction of $5,906,042.10. Following the sale, the insider owned 191,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,659,549.30. This trade represents a 55.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AEO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $14.00 to $20.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Bank of America increased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.45.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 3.6%

AEO stock opened at $25.87 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $22.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $9.27 and a fifty-two week high of $28.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30 and a beta of 1.39.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.10. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.90% and a return on equity of 13.82%. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 43.10%.

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.