American Eagle Outfitters Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors bought 21,213 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 214% compared to the typical volume of 6,762 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup set a $13.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James initiated coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.00.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter worth about $931,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter valued at $3,731,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,680,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 137.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,358 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 1,944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth $378,000. Institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of AEO stock opened at $11.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12-month low of $10.74 and a 12-month high of $26.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $14.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.65.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors 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 4.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 42.74%.

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.