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

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the target of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 22,990,000 shares, an increase of 14.5% from the March 15th total of 20,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,590,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.0 days.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of AEO stock traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $22.30. 5,779,598 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,656,026. American Eagle Outfitters has a fifty-two week low of $9.95 and a fifty-two week high of $26.44. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.75. The stock has a market cap of $4.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.59.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The apparel retailer reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.11. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 3.23%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 1st that permits the company to repurchase 30,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the apparel retailer to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Investors of record on Friday, April 12th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 58.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Bank of America increased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com cut American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.27.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,363 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.91, for a total transaction of $47,047.33. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 232,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,881,639. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,363 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.91, for a total value of $47,047.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 98,953 shares of company stock valued at $2,268,075. Corporate insiders own 7.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 299.7% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,207 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 6,980.0% in the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,416 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

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.