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American Eagle Outfitters

AEO
63
Apparel - Retail · Consumer Cyclical
Price
$17.03
-0.46 (-2.63%)
Market Cap
$2.85B
Winston Score
63
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.

Share count falling — buybacks

14.7% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 206.5M (2022) → 176.1M (2026)

American Eagle Outfitters sells clothing, accessories, and underwear mainly to teenagers and young adults. Its two main brands are American Eagle, which focuses on casual clothes like jeans and graphic tees, and Aerie, which sells underwear, loungewear, and activewear for women. The company operates hundreds of stores across the United States and also sells online.

The company makes money primarily through direct product sales in its retail stores and on its website. It operates mostly in North America, with a smaller international presence through licensed stores in other countries. Its roughly $2.7 billion market cap reflects a mid-sized specialty retailer competing against brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap. Aerie has been a key growth driver in recent years, but the company faces real risk from shifting teen spending habits, heavy competition from fast-fashion brands like Shein and Zara, and the ongoing challenge of managing inventory and promotions without hurting profit margins.

Winston Score History

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+9.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

-3.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (4%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

7.0%ownership

Insiders own a meaningful stake in the company

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$239M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

American Eagle Outfitters is growing revenue at 10% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Gross Margin
34.0%
Modest — 34.0% gross margin
Operating Margin
10.2%
Modest — 10.2% operating margin
ROCE
9.0%
Below par — 9.0% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales YoY
+12.4%
Fast-growing sales (12.4% YoY)
EPS YoY
+316.7%
Earnings growing fast (316.7% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

EPS Consistency
8/8 quarters
Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
148%
Turns 148% of profit into real cash
FCF Margin
5.6%
Thin free cash flow (5.6%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

Debt / Equity
0.19
Conservative — low debt load (0.19)
Interest Cover
124.26x
Comfortably covers interest (124.3x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
8.3x
Attractive valuation — P/E 8.3

P/E under 10. The price tag is small relative to last year's profit.

P/E vs Forward
-1.8
SLOWING
Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

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Dividends

Dividend Yield
2.81%
Moderate income — 2.81% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend Growth
+0.0%
Dividend flat

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