Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 1,151,091 Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. $AEO

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) by 794.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,296,011 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,151,091 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Eagle Outfitters were worth $21,643,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AEO. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 151.0% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,848 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 2,315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 8,432.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 2,361 shares during the period. 97.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on AEO. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $22.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Monday, June 1st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, William Blair reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.91.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of AEO stock opened at $18.15 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.29 and a twelve month high of $28.46. The company has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.32.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The apparel retailer reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.03. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 5.01%.The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.29) earnings per share. American Eagle Outfitters’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David M. Sable sold 5,779 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $99,572.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,481 shares in the company, valued at $921,477.63. This represents a 9.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 2,892 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.78, for a total transaction of $48,527.76. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,563 shares of company stock worth $196,599. Corporate insiders own 8.95% of the company’s stock.

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.