Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of American Eagle Outfitters Put Options (NYSE:AEO)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors acquired 52,300 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 534% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,248 put options.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $11.42 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of 9.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52-week low of $10.74 and a 52-week high of $26.25.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.38%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is currently 29.76%.

Insider Activity

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Eagle Outfitters

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 1,475 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,573 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 2,463 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on AEO. Raymond James started coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Bank of America lowered their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down previously from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

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.