American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) earns a Roarable Rating of B (Buy) with 72/100 RQD Confidence. High-quality cash engine (37% profit margin, 12% return on capital) with steady institutional support. The company’s underlying cash engine and institutional positioning keep the composite score in the Green Buy zone.
As of 2026-11-03, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is rated B (Buy / BUY) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 72/100 at a spot price of $19.61 (-2.53% 1D, market cap $3.29B). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 15/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 13/20, Executive Insider Alignment 16/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 11/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 17/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, AEO ranks #114 in composite RQD confidence.
Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Clothing/Shoe/Accessory Stores), AEO carries a Roarable B (72/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 18.1x, gross margin of 36.5%, and ROIC of 12.3%. By comparison, BOOT (Boot Barn Holdings Inc.) holds a C- grade (61/100 RQD, P/E 17.3x, ROIC 15.2%, cap $3.95B) and BKE (Buckle Inc.) posts a B grade (73/100 RQD, P/E 11.5x, ROIC 48.6%, cap $2.39B). Among the 5-stock peer group, BKE leads on earnings multiple (11.5x) while BKE leads on capital efficiency (48.6% ROIC).
Per AEO's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2026-01-31, CIK 0000919012), American Eagle Outfitters Inc. generated $5.55B in revenue (+4.1% YoY), $186.0M in net income, and $195.4M in free cash flow against $4.01B in total assets and $0 in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Strong cash generator (37% profit margin)—profits are backed by real money, not accounting tricks.. Primary risk factors monitored: Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.
Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer
SEC Form 4 / 13F Thermometer: 85% Net Buy • Cannibal Buyback (-2.64% YoY Shares)
Altman Z-Score 3.65 (FORTRESS SAFE (>3.0)) • Piotroski F-Score 8/9
Macro rate sensitivity & RSI-14 (62.3) create a -9 pt regime headwind
Even with a 72/100 (B) score, AEO faces multiple-compression risk if 18.1x trailing P/E re-rate toward historical sector medians or if hyperscaler/enterprise customer concentration slows in upcoming 10-Q filings.
Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.
Dilution & Margin Drag: Cannibal Buyback (-2.64% YoY Shares) — any gross margin slip below 34.0% triggers an automatic RQD downgrade.
Technical & Forensic Kill-Switch: A daily close below the 50D SMA ($17.37) or 200D SMA ($18.29) invalidates the momentum regime and cuts Target Base ($20.85) toward Bear Floor ($16.08).
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) dropped -2.53% to $19.61, trading at 38% of its 52-week range ($14.1 – $28.46). High-quality cash engine (37% profit margin, 12% return on capital) with steady institutional support.
Yahoo! Finance Canada report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Investing.com report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
StockInvest.us report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Recently, Zacks.com users have been paying close attention to American Eagle (AEO). This makes it worthwhile to examine what the stock has in store.
The ruling stems from JS China's trademark lawsuit against American Eagle Outfitters for Aerie's use of the label.
Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).
vs. +4.1% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).
No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on AEO today. View full Setup Ledger →
No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for AEO. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.
Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary securities in the Roarable RQD universe, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) ranks #114 by composite RQD confidence (72/100, grade B) and #343 by equity capitalization ($3.29B). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, BKE leads on earnings valuation at 11.5x trailing P/E, while BKE leads on capital efficiency and profitability with 48.6% ROIC and 49.0% gross margin. ANF currently holds the highest overall quantitative score in the immediate peer group at 84/100 (A-) compared with AEO at 72/100 (B).
| Ticker / Company | Roarable Grade | RQD Score | Trailing P/E | Gross Margin | ROIC | 1D Change | Market Cap | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEO
ACTIVE
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. | B | 72/100 | 18.1x | 36.5% | 12.3% | -2.53% | $3.29B | Benchmark Subject |
| BOOT Boot Barn Holdings Inc. | C- | 61/100 | 17.3x | 38.1% | 15.2% | +1.35% | $3.95B | /boot-vs-aeo → |
| BKE Buckle Inc. | B | 73/100 | 11.5x | 49.0% | 48.6% | -1.26% | $2.39B | /bke-vs-aeo → |
| ANF Abercrombie & Fitch Company | A- | 84/100 | 13.9x | — | 40.7% | -0.80% | $6.98B | /anf-vs-aeo → |
| VSXY Victorias Secret & Co. | B- | 71/100 | 49.1x | 36.4% | 16.4% | -2.54% | $7.71B | /vsxy-vs-aeo → |
In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2026-01-31), American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) reported GAAP revenue of $5.55B (+4.1% vs. FY2024 revenue of $5.33B , and +5.4% cumulative change since FY2023) , GAAP net income of $186.0M, operating cash flow of $456.2M, and free cash flow of $195.4M (-23.2% YoY). On the balance sheet, AEO closed FY2025 with $4.01B in total assets against $0 in total debt (Altman Z-Score: 3.65, Piotroski F-Score: 8/9).
| Fiscal Period | Filing Date | Revenue | Net Income | Operating Cash Flow | Free Cash Flow | Total Assets | Total Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 (FY) | 2026-01-31 | $5.55B | $186.0M | $456.2M | $195.4M | $4.01B | $0 |
| FY2024 (FY) | 2025-02-01 | $5.33B | $327.0M | $476.8M | $254.3M | $3.83B | $896.4M |
| FY2023 (FY) | 2024-02-03 | $5.26B | $169.0M | $580.7M | $343.9M | $6.31B | $1.48B |
As of 2026-11-03, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is rated B (Buy / BUY) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 72/100 at a spot price of $19.61 (-2.53% 1D, market cap $3.29B). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 15/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 13/20, Executive Insider Alignment 16/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 11/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 17/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, AEO ranks #114 in composite RQD confidence.
Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Clothing/Shoe/Accessory Stores), AEO carries a Roarable B (72/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 18.1x, gross margin of 36.5%, and ROIC of 12.3%. By comparison, BOOT (Boot Barn Holdings Inc.) holds a C- grade (61/100 RQD, P/E 17.3x, ROIC 15.2%, cap $3.95B) and BKE (Buckle Inc.) posts a B grade (73/100 RQD, P/E 11.5x, ROIC 48.6%, cap $2.39B). Among the 5-stock peer group, BKE leads on earnings multiple (11.5x) while BKE leads on capital efficiency (48.6% ROIC).
Per AEO's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2026-01-31, CIK 0000919012), American Eagle Outfitters Inc. generated $5.55B in revenue (+4.1% YoY), $186.0M in net income, and $195.4M in free cash flow against $4.01B in total assets and $0 in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Strong cash generator (37% profit margin)—profits are backed by real money, not accounting tricks.. Primary risk factors monitored: Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.
AEO last traded at $19.61 (-2.53% on volume of 4,636,011 shares), positioning the stock +12.90% above its 50-day simple moving average ($17.37) and +7.22% above its 200-day simple moving average ($18.29). Across its 52-week range of $14.10 to $28.46, AEO sits at the 38.4% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 62.3 (BULLISH MOMENTUM) and an implied next-earnings move of ±7.7% ($18.10 to $21.12).
Why AEO Stock dropped -2.53% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash. High-quality cash engine (37% profit margin, 12% return on capital) with steady institutional support.
Per the Roarable RQD rating, AEO scores 72 out of 100, a letter grade of B, with the verdict label "Roarable Buy — Good Risk/Reward." The five pillars are:
Investor implications: The valuation is moderate (P/E TTM 18.1, forward P/E 16.8, EV/EBITDA 7 per market data), so upside depends on earnings improvement rather than multiple expansion. The main tradeoff is that the thin 4.1% operating margin and the 52-week range of $14.1 to $28.46 indicate meaningful price volatility relative to the fundamental cushion. The Macro Regime pillar (11/20) is the weakest link, suggesting the score is more dependent on balance sheet and cash generation than on market-environment tailwinds.
| Period | Revenue | Operating Income | Net Income | EPS | FCF | Cash | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2025 (filed 2026-01-31) | $5547.2M | $226.2M | $186.0M | N/A | $195.4M | $238.9M | $0.0M |
| FY 2024 (filed 2025-02-01) | $5328.7M | $427.3M | $327.0M | N/A | $254.3M | $309.0M | $896.4M |
| FY 2023 (filed 2024-02-03) | $5261.8M | $222.7M | $169.0M | N/A | $343.9M | N/A | $1477.5M |
Revenue rose from $5261.8M (FY 2023) to $5547.2M (FY 2025), while net income moved from $169.0M to $327.0M in FY 2024 before falling to $186.0M in FY 2025. Per market data, net margin is 3.4% and operating margin is 4.1%. Per the RQD rating, ROIC is 12.3%, Altman Z is 3.65, and Piotroski F is 8/9. Reported debt fell from $1477.5M (FY 2023) to $0.0M (FY 2025), and cash was $238.9M at FY 2025.
Real-time company headlines, analyst actions, and sector developments for American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) • Click "Debate This Headline" to argue it in the Roar Pit below
Yahoo! Finance Canada report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Investing.com report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
StockInvest.us report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Yahoo Finance report covering American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) market action, institutional positioning, and fundamental catalysts.
Welcome to the AEO (American Eagle Outfitters Inc.) Roar Pit. Current RQD Composite is 72/100 (Roarable Buy — Good Risk/Reward) in Clothing/Shoe/Accessory Stores. Bulls point to capital efficiency (12.3% ROIC), while bears focus on macro rate sensitivity and margin execution. Pick your side (🐂 Bull or 🐻 Bear) and drop your price target below.
Everyone in here is repeating the bull case on AEO, but look at what you are paying: 18.1x trailing P/E with 36.5% gross margins. Unless American Eagle Outfitters Inc. expands free cash flow yield next quarter, I would rather wait for a pullback closer to the 200-day moving average before touching this.
Looking at the 5-pillar RQD breakdown on AEO, the market is fixating on short-term headline noise in Clothing/Shoe/Accessory Stores and ignoring the balance sheet and cash flow trajectory. At $20.12 (52-wk range $14.10 - $28.46), any beat on forward guidance forces shorts and underweight funds to chase.
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