American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $15.06 and last traded at $15.01, with a volume of 679707 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AEO shares. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $17.00 price target (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $2.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.93.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 20.75%. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th were issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.74%.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total transaction of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter worth about $931,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,731,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,680,000. Dupree Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter worth approximately $3,146,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter worth $1,557,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

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.