American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at BTIG Research

Key Points

• BTIG Research has initiated coverage on American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) with a "neutral" rating, while several other firms have varying ratings and price targets ranging from $10.00 to $21.50.
• The company recently reported quarterly earnings of $0.45 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations and generating $1.28 billion in revenue.
• Insider transactions have occurred, with significant stock sales by executives amounting to over $2.4 million in recent months, highlighting shifts in internal confidence regarding the stock.

Research analysts at BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a "neutral" rating on the apparel retailer's stock.

AEO has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a $10.00 price objective (down previously from $11.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Citigroup upped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $12.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised American Eagle Outfitters to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Eagle Outfitters presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $14.72.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

NYSE:AEO traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $18.87. The stock had a trading volume of 11,335,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,952,220. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.62. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $9.27 and a 52 week high of $22.63. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $13.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14 and a beta of 1.45.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 3.74%.The company's revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.39 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 9,002 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total value of $163,026.22. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 54,950 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.14, for a total value of $996,793.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 221,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,010,880.98. The trade was a 19.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 135,821 shares of company stock worth $2,465,436 over the last three months. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 380.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,325 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,841 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 151.0% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,848 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 2,315 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 38.7% during the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 4,173 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.