American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Raised to “Equal Weight” at Morgan Stanley

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $16.00 price target on the apparel retailer’s stock, up from their prior price target of $15.00. Morgan Stanley’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 6.73% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com downgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.40.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 0.5 %

American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $17.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.53. American Eagle Outfitters has a twelve month low of $15.36 and a twelve month high of $26.44. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.39.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 4.28%. American Eagle Outfitters’s revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In related news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total value of $48,043.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 7.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 171.1% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,548 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at about $141,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.