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American Eagle Outfitters

AEO
55
Apparel - Retail · Consumer Cyclical
Winston Score
55
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through May 2, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Good
Growth
Good
Cash Flow
Weak
Stability
Exceptional
Valuation
Strong
Dividends
Mixed

Winston Score History

The full picture

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.

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

Insider Activity

7.0%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$239M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

→ Burn rate stable

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

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
33.9%
Modest — 33.9% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
2.4%
Thin — 2.4% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
20.8%
Exceptional — 20.8% return on capital

ROIC between 15% and 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns 15 to 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+6.2%
Slow sales growth (+6.2% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+65.0%
Earnings growing fast (+65.0% YoY)

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

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
5/8 quarters
Mixed — about half the quarters showed growth

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
30%
Weak — only 30% of profit becomes cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
-1.9%
Burning cash (-1.9%)

Free cash flow is negative. They are burning cash, not generating it.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.24
Conservative — low debt load (0.24)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
34.81x
Comfortably covers interest (34.8x)

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

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
9.7x
no trend
Attractive valuation — P/E 9.7

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

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+0.5
GROWING
Earnings roughly flat

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
3.15%
no trend
Moderate income — 3.15% yield

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

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+0.0%
no trend
Dividend flat

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