AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 588,907 Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management increased its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 82.9% in Q1, owning approximately $14.64 million in shares.
• The apparel retailer reported an earnings per share of $0.45 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates of $0.20.
• American Eagle Outfitters has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion and a current stock price of $17.97, with a 52-week trading range of $9.27 to $22.63.

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Free Report) by 82.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,299,149 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 588,907 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.75% of American Eagle Outfitters worth $14,641,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the 1st quarter worth about $38,588,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1,510.1% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,509,057 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $41,826,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353,225 shares during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 29.9% during the 1st quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 7,791,193 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $90,534,000 after acquiring an additional 1,794,203 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $18,927,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 1st quarter worth approximately $18,140,000. Institutional investors own 97.33% of the company's stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Up 7.0%

NYSE:AEO traded up $1.28 on Monday, reaching $19.62. 14,602,579 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,424,512. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.86 and a beta of 1.44. The company's 50 day moving average is $12.92 and its 200-day moving average is $11.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.27 and a 1-year high of $22.63.

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

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director David M. Sable sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.22, for a total value of $96,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 48,640 shares in the company, valued at $934,860.80. This trade represents a 9.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Janice E. Page sold 26,869 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.04, for a total value of $484,716.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 90,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,630,509.32. This represents a 22.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 135,821 shares of company stock worth $2,465,436. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $12.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $21.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $9.00 price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $13.94.

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.