Zacks Research Has Bullish Forecast for AEO FY2026 Earnings

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, December 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the apparel retailer will earn $1.33 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $1.11. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for American Eagle Outfitters’ current full-year earnings is $1.70 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for American Eagle Outfitters’ Q1 2027 earnings at ($0.04) EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.54 EPS.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.10. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 3.90% and a return on equity of 13.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of American Eagle Outfitters from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $14.00 to $20.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. BTIG Research began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Eagle Outfitters from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Barclays lifted their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $14.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.45.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance

AEO opened at $26.85 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.15 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $18.91 and a 200 day moving average of $15.04. American Eagle Outfitters has a fifty-two week low of $9.27 and a fifty-two week high of $27.84.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AEO. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 50.0% in the third quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,500 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Strs Ohio bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 8,432.1% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,361 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 1,655.3% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 2,475 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 2,334 shares during the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total transaction of $5,906,042.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 191,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,659,549.30. The trade was a 55.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,945 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.95, for a total transaction of $49,917.75. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 8.70% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 43.10%.

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.