American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 1.4% in Q4 and now owns 18,398,401 shares—about 10.85% of the company worth roughly $485.2 million.
• American Eagle beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.84 EPS vs. $0.71 expected and $1.81 billion in revenue (up 12.2% year‑over‑year), and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.125 (annualized yield ~3.0%).
• Analysts' consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $21.75, though views vary—UBS is more bullish with a $35 target.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,398,401 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 249,158 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.85% of American Eagle Outfitters worth $485,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Polaris Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Polaris Capital Management LLC now owns 54,900 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,448,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,413,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 266,478 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $7,027,000 after buying an additional 36,815 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $295,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 61,524 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,622,000 after buying an additional 3,707 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.33% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total value of $50,002.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $49,743.01. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 8.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AEO. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $19.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:AEO opened at $16.66 on Wednesday. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.27 and a 12-month high of $28.46. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $18.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.13. The firm has a market cap 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 (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 10th. American Eagle Outfitters's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.64%.

American Eagle Outfitters 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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