American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)’s share price gapped up before the market opened 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Barclays cut American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $17.00 to $10.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 4.4 %

The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.76 and a 200-day moving average of $17.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.33%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 29.76%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 1,475 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,463 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors 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.