American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Short Interest Update

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,230,000 shares, a drop of 13.2% from the February 28th total of 16,400,000 shares. Approximately 8.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 5,240,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

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 shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total transaction of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,223,953 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $170,431,000 after purchasing an additional 413,193 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,933,628 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $165,594,000 after buying an additional 184,067 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,505,340 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $91,774,000 after acquiring an additional 472,683 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 8.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,918,295 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $65,341,000 after acquiring an additional 226,821 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,877,963 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $47,976,000 after acquiring an additional 381,047 shares during the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

NYSE AEO traded down $2.19 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $10.46. 9,916,990 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,921,961. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. The business’s 50 day moving average is $13.65 and its 200-day moving average is $16.91. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12-month low of $10.21 and a 12-month high of $25.95.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.78%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on AEO. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James assumed coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.00.

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.