American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Shares Sold by NFJ Investment Group LLC

NFJ Investment Group LLC lessened its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 118,229 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 1,450 shares during the quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned approximately 0.06% of American Eagle Outfitters worth $1,971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter worth about $267,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 137.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,358 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $378,000. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at $1,557,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 1,673.7% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 62,134 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,036,000 after buying an additional 58,631 shares in 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 opened at $10.80 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.23, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.40. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a one year low of $9.45 and a one year high of $25.15. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $12.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.06.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.63%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 29.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on AEO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $15.00 target price (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays lowered American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $17.00 to $10.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup set a $13.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.50.

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.