American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $11.06, but opened at $11.80. American Eagle Outfitters shares last traded at $11.50, with a volume of 2,124,255 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $15.00 target price (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup set a $13.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on shares of 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 initiated coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.35, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $14.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.46.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company 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 yield of 4.13%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 29.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the business’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 transaction of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 7.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 514.1% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 293,937 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $6,581,000 after purchasing an additional 246,070 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 40.3% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 15,273 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 4,384 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth approximately $141,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 2.1% in the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 49,669 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,112,000 after buying an additional 1,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in 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. Institutional investors own 97.33% 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.