Short Interest in American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Decreases By 24.3%

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 16,663,626 shares, a decline of 24.3% from the November 30th total of 21,999,157 shares. Currently, 10.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 13,513,105 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 13,513,105 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Currently, 10.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Activity

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,945 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.95, for a total value of $49,917.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total value of $5,906,042.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 191,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,659,549.30. This represents a 55.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 8.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 920.6% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,497,720 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $94,066,000 after purchasing an additional 4,959,039 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth $23,395,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 37.7% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,455,961 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $40,158,000 after acquiring an additional 946,904 shares during the last quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at $14,618,000. Finally, Kettle Hill Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 1st quarter worth $8,657,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AEO. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $23.00 target price on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Zacks Research raised American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup upped their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $11.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $14.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.45.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 0.8%

American Eagle Outfitters stock traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.70. The stock had a trading volume of 4,530,923 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,943,359. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $21.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.14. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $9.27 and a twelve month high of $28.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a PE ratio of 23.02 and a beta of 1.44.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.10. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 3.90%.The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.48 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.10%.

About American Eagle Outfitters

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.