What to Look for in American Eagle Earnings

American Eagle Outfitters is set to release its fiscal fourth-quarter financial results after the markets close on Wednesday.

Published March 1, 2016, 2:05pm ET · 2 min read

© Thinkstock

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is set to release its fiscal fourth-quarter financial results after the markets close on Wednesday. Thomson Reuters has consensus estimates that call for per-share earnings of $0.42 on $1.12 billion in revenue. The same period from the previous year had $0.36 in earnings per share on revenue of $1.07 billion.

Earlier this company released its sales numbers for the holidays. The company reported fourth-quarter same-store sales in January as up 4% year over year and that the company continues to forecast the quarter’s earnings at $0.40 to $0.42. This was not good enough for investors at the time.

American Eagle CEO Jay Schottenstein commented on the announcement:

Despite a very challenging macro-environment, we had a solid holiday season, driven by positive results in both our brands. The online business was particularly strong, and we leveraged our omni-channel tools to deliver an improved customer experience. I am extremely pleased with the steady progress made in 2015, with expected annual EPS growth of roughly 70%.

Retail stores catering to teens have had a tough year or so as more traditional retailers like American Eagle are losing ground to fast-fashion brands like H&M, Forever 21 and Zara. Warm weather during the final few months of 2015 also stunted sales of winter garb.
[nativounit]
A few analysts weighed in on American Eagle prior to the release of its earnings:

  • B. Riley reiterated a Buy rating with a $20 price target.
  • BB&T downgraded to a Hold rating from Buy.
  • Goldman Sachs lowered its price target to $13 from $15.
  • JP Morgan raised its price target to $16 from $15.

So far in 2016, American Eagle has been relatively flat, with the stock only down about 1.5% year to date. Over the past 52 weeks, the stock is up 5%.

Shares of American Eagle were trading down 1.3% at $15.06 on Tuesday, with a consensus analyst price target of $18.25 and a 52-week trading range of $12.78 to $18.49.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Chris Lange

Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.

His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.

When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.

All articles →