Investors Buy Large Volume of Put Options on American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors bought 21,213 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 214% compared to the typical volume of 6,762 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the firm’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 value of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 7.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1,510.1% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,509,057 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $41,826,000 after acquiring an additional 2,353,225 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth about $35,267,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,370,626 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $97,858,000 after buying an additional 1,262,693 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,408.1% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 1,244,008 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $20,738,000 after buying an additional 1,194,408 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter worth approximately $17,558,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

AEO traded down $0.23 during trading on Thursday, reaching $11.22. The company had a trading volume of 4,453,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,597,084. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12-month low of $10.08 and a 12-month high of $26.25. The company has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.64, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.78.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.46%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEO has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays cut American Eagle Outfitters from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $17.00 to $10.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Eagle Outfitters presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.50.

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.