Zacks Research Issues Negative Forecast for AEO Earnings

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for American Eagle Outfitters in a report issued on Wednesday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst R. Lohia now anticipates that the apparel retailer will post earnings of $0.11 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.31. 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’ FY2026 earnings at $1.49 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.16 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.31 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.63 EPS.

AEO has been the topic of several other reports. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group lowered their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Citigroup set a $13.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lowered their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $18.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.00.

American Eagle Outfitters Price Performance

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $11.42 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.04. American Eagle Outfitters has a 12 month low of $10.74 and a 12 month high of $26.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.76, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.57.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 258.8% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position 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 buying an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2,239.1% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions 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 shares were sold at an average price of $16.02, for a total transaction of $48,043.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend 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.