American Eagle Outfitters Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 52,300 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 534% compared to the average daily volume of 8,248 put options.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

NYSE:AEO traded down $0.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $11.30. 2,305,330 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,850,754. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.66, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a fifty day moving average of $14.02 and a 200 day moving average of $17.13. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12 month low of $10.74 and a 12 month high of $26.25.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.43%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AEO. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup set a $13.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on 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. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.00.

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.