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 on Friday. Stock investors purchased 52,300 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 534% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,248 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total transaction of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,475 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings 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 period. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 97.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AEO. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on 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. 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 decreased their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 4.2 %

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $11.42 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $13.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.07. The firm 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 12 month low of $10.74 and a 12 month high of $26.25.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

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

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.