Investors Purchase Large Volume of American Eagle Outfitters Call Options (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 17,703 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 95% compared to the average volume of 9,066 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James began coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Barclays cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $17.00 to $10.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Citigroup set a $13.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.00.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 7.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,475 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,463 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of AEO stock opened at $12.65 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.81, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $13.65 and a 200 day moving average of $16.91. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $10.74 and a 52 week 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. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 29.76%.

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.