Decker Retirement Planning Inc. Invests $1.85 Million in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO

Key Points

• Decker Retirement Planning opened a new position in American Eagle Outfitters, buying 70,265 shares worth about $1.85 million in the fourth quarter, according to the firm's 13F filing.
• Institutional ownership is very high at 97.33%, with large managers further increasing stakes (notably Marshall Wace boosting its holding to 538,681 shares); insiders have sold roughly 7,670 shares in the past 90 days.
• Fundamentals and outlook are mixed: AEO beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.84 vs. $0.71) with revenue up 12.2% year-over-year and announced a $0.125 quarterly dividend (2.8% yield), while analysts hold a consensus "Reduce" rating with a $21.75 price target.

Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 70,265 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,853,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AEO. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 162,243 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,885,000 after purchasing an additional 32,191 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 105,726 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 4,599 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1,238.2% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 52,551 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $611,000 after purchasing an additional 48,624 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,937 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 349.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 538,681 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $5,182,000 after purchasing an additional 418,943 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AEO shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $24.00 to $19.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Zacks Research lowered shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 1.8%

American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $17.76 on Wednesday. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.27 and a 1-year high of $28.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.91.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. American Eagle Outfitters's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. American Eagle Outfitters's payout ratio is 44.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,887 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $49,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,887 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total transaction of $50,002.84. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 7,670 shares of company stock valued at $148,397 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 8.70% of the company's stock.

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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