American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Given New $20.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) had its price objective lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $23.00 to $20.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the apparel retailer’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on AEO. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Raymond James began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.10.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE:AEO opened at $16.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.53. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $16.06 and a 52 week high of $26.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $17.80 and a 200 day moving average of $19.64.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 4.28%. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.69 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.74%.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,283 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.49, for a total transaction of $49,061.67. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 7.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 39,429 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $657,000 after purchasing an additional 4,034 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,557,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 8.4% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,918,295 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $65,341,000 after buying an additional 226,821 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 688,869 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $14,266,000 after buying an additional 15,038 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $141,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.