American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on AEO. 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 report on Tuesday, November 12th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $17.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $17.00 target price (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 4.1 %

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $13.34. 4,827,569 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,154,977. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $13.31 and a twelve month high of $26.44. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.45. The company has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a PE ratio of 11.40, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.53.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total transaction of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Creative Planning boosted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 24,222 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 3,209 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth about $226,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at about $199,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $233,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,840 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 1,446 shares in the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.