Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,000,419 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 680,332 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $158,231,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AEO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,398,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $485,166,000 after acquiring an additional 249,158 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,649,952 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $113,781,000 after purchasing an additional 320,750 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 920.6% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,497,720 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $94,066,000 after purchasing an additional 4,959,039 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,493,902 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $25,561,000 after purchasing an additional 60,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth $23,395,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $22.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen cut American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Weiss Ratings downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total transaction of $50,002.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $49,743.01. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 8.95% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 0.3%

AEO stock opened at $16.39 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a PE ratio of 10.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $17.08 and a 200-day moving average of $21.06. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $9.27 and a one year high of $28.46.

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

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.