American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) Announces Earnings Results

Posted by Francis Steltz on Sep 11th, 2026

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO – Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The apparel retailer reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.57, Zacks reports. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 24.02% and a net margin of 5.91%.The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from American Eagle Outfitters’ conference call:

Aerie and OFFLINE remained the growth engine, with revenue up 25% and comparable sales up 19%, supported by broad-based strength across intimates, apparel, activewear, stores, and digital channels.
American Eagle showed sequential improvement, with revenue up 1% and comparable sales down 1%; men’s delivered a fourth consecutive quarter of positive comps, while women’s denim and seasonal inventory remain areas requiring further work.
Second-quarter operating income benefited from a $161 million net tariff refund, making reported margin expansion less indicative of underlying profitability; merchandise margin declined 330 basis points due largely to American Eagle markdowns.
Management trimmed its full-year outlook to operating income of $540 million-$550 million, citing American Eagle now tracking roughly flat rather than low-single-digit positive, along with additional markdown pressure as inventory is rebalanced.
Third-quarter comparable sales are expected to grow in the mid- to high-single digits, led by Aerie and OFFLINE growth in the high-teens to 20% range, while marketing is shifting toward conversion-focused tactics intended to improve American Eagle performance.

American Eagle Outfitters Trading Down 13.9%

NYSE AEO opened at $14.53 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 1.33. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $14.06 and a 52 week high of $28.46. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $16.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Noel Spiegel sold 2,892 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.78, for a total transaction of $48,527.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David M. Sable sold 5,779 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $99,572.17. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $921,477.63. The trade was a 9.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 11,563 shares of company stock worth $196,599 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 8.95% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AEO. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 769,161 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $20,283,000 after acquiring an additional 71,858 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 34.5% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 21,207 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 5,441 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 757.0% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 96,674 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,575,000 after purchasing an additional 85,394 shares in the last quarter. CacheTech Inc. bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth approximately $237,000. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,952,866 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $77,867,000 after purchasing an additional 250,084 shares in the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AEO. Zacks Research upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $22.00 target price on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Monday, June 1st. TD Cowen dropped their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $24.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.36.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on American Eagle Outfitters

Key Stories Impacting American Eagle Outfitters

Here are the key news stories impacting American Eagle Outfitters this week:

Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue rose 7.5% year over year to approximately $1.38 billion, slightly exceeding expectations, while adjusted earnings of $0.79 per share far surpassed the roughly $0.22 consensus estimate. Total comparable sales increased 6%, supported by Aerie and OFFLINE. American Eagle Outfitters Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded AEO from “hold” to “strong buy,” while BMO Capital Markets raised its rating to “hold.” UBS maintained a “buy” rating despite reducing its price target to $27 from $31, indicating analysts still see potential value after the selloff.
Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $17 from $18 and retained an “equal weight” rating. Telsey also cut its target to $18 from $20 and assigned a “market perform” rating, reflecting more cautious expectations rather than a broad sell recommendation.
Negative Sentiment: The earnings quality raised concerns because a roughly $161 million tariff refund materially benefited gross profit and operating income. Investors questioned how much of the earnings improvement can be repeated without that one-time benefit. American Eagle Stock Slides on Continued Brand Pressure
Negative Sentiment: The core American Eagle brand remained soft, with comparable sales reportedly declining 1%, while Aerie’s growth slowed. Management acknowledged that additional work is needed to improve the namesake business, suggesting uneven consumer demand and ongoing brand pressure. American Eagle Stock Slumps on Signs of Weakness at Namesake Brand
Negative Sentiment: American Eagle kept its annual comparable-sales outlook unchanged and projected flat gross margins for the third quarter. The cautious outlook, combined with weaker merchandise margins and higher inventory, overshadowed the quarterly beat. American Eagle Shares Slide as Flat Margin Outlook and Weak Core Brand Weigh

American Eagle Outfitters Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.