What is Zacks Research’s Estimate for AEO Q2 Earnings?

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) – Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for American Eagle Outfitters in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, March 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the apparel retailer will post earnings per share of $0.28 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.41. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” 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’ Q3 2027 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.79 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.33 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $0.56 EPS, Q4 2028 earnings at $0.90 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $1.90 EPS and FY2029 earnings at $2.01 EPS.

AEO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $23.00 price objective on American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $27.00 to $21.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $21.75.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock opened at $17.50 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.97. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52-week low of $9.27 and a 52-week high of $28.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.13. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 3.49%.The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. American Eagle Outfitters’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.64%.

Insider Activity at American Eagle Outfitters

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.21, for a total transaction of $49,694.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Noel Joseph Spiegel sold 1,896 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.66, for a total transaction of $48,651.36. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in American Eagle Outfitters by 920.6% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,497,720 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $94,066,000 after acquiring an additional 4,959,039 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,954,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 153.1% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,410,162 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $63,556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457,785 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter valued at about $23,395,000. Finally, Kinetic Partners Management LP bought a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the third quarter worth about $14,618,000. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key American Eagle Outfitters News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2028 EPS view to $1.90 (from $1.70) and issued a FY2029 estimate of $2.01, while increasing several quarterly forecasts (notably Q3/Q4 lifts). The higher multi‑year earnings trajectory supports the rally in AEO. Zacks estimate changes
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst note set a $21.75 price target for AEO, providing upside from current trading levels and likely encouraging buyers. Analysts Set Target
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces flagged improving relative strength for AEO, which can attract momentum and ETF/quant flows into the stock. Relative strength article
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks retains a “Hold” rating even as it adjusts models; the rating tempers how strongly upgrades translate into sustained buy-side conviction. Zacks rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Popular outlets published valuation and capital‑allocation pieces that dig into whether AEO’s upgrades clear up or complicate the longer‑term strategy; these articles provide context but contain mixed conclusions. Valuation piece Capital allocation piece
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting some of the upbeat revisions, Zacks trimmed Q2 estimates for both 2027 and 2028 materially (Q2 2027 cut to $0.28 from $0.41; Q2 2028 cut to $0.33 from $0.44), signaling potential seasonality or near‑term margin pressure that could cap upside. Q2 cuts

About American Eagle Outfitters

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.