Congress Asset Management Co. Sells 1,151,964 Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)

Congress Asset Management Co. cut its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 21.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,193,786 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 1,151,964 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $69,910,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 1,608 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth about $141,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $141,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of AEO stock opened at $14.35 on Friday. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.07 and a 12 month high of $26.44. The company has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $16.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.78.

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

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th were paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 42.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. 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 research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Eagle Outfitters has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

About American Eagle Outfitters

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.