American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Upgraded by Barclays to Equal Weight Rating

Key Points

• Barclays upgraded American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) from "underweight" to "equal weight" and set a $19.00 target price, implying roughly a 14% upside from the current price.
• AEO beat its most recent quarter estimates, reporting $0.84 EPS versus $0.71 expected and $1.81 billion in revenue (up 12.2% year‑over‑year).
• Analyst consensus remains an overall Hold, with an average target price of $21.75 (1 Buy, 14 Hold, 1 Sell).

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Barclays from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $19.00 target price on the apparel retailer's stock. Barclays's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 14.02% from the company's current price.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on AEO. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. TD Cowen cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $21.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered American Eagle Outfitters from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

NYSE AEO opened at $16.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.88, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.38. American Eagle Outfitters has a fifty-two week low of $9.27 and a fifty-two week high of $28.46.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 3.49%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. American Eagle Outfitters's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $49,743.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total value of $50,002.84. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 8.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 47.5% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 108,649 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,814,000 after purchasing an additional 35,002 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the first quarter valued at approximately $5,490,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 17,873.9% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 107,304 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,792,000 after acquiring an additional 106,707 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd lifted its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 90.8% in the first quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 18,308 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 8,712 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the first quarter valued at approximately $223,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc NYSE: AEO is a leading American specialty retailer offering apparel, accessories and personal care products for men and women. The company's flagship brand, American Eagle, focuses on casualwear including denim, tops, outerwear and accessories targeted primarily at teens and young adults. In addition to its core apparel lines, the company operates the Aerie brand of intimates, loungewear and swimwear, which has gained recognition for its body-positive marketing and inclusive sizing.

American Eagle Outfitters conducts business through a combination of over 900 brick-and-mortar stores in North America and Greater China, complemented by a growing e-commerce platform that serves customers around the globe.

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