Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes $2.15 Million Position in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 129,234 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,154,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AEO. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted 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 valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,463 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares during the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on AEO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $15.00 target price (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James assumed coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AEO opened at $11.42 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $13.92 and its 200-day moving average is $17.04. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 1 year low of $10.74 and a 1 year high of $26.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57.

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 given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 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.