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American Eagle Store At Fashion Valley In San Diego
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Gen Z retailer American Eagle sinks on frosty spring outlook

Shares of the OG teen retailer have seen their value slashed in half over the past year.

American Eagle shares tumbled as much as 9% on Thursday morning before clawing back some losses after the teen retailer served up a less-than-trendy outlook for the year.

The company, which reported earnings after the bell Wednesday, posted diluted earnings per share of $0.54, beating FactSet estimates of $0.51. Revenue landed at $1.60 billion — right on target but slightly below last year’s haul. Meanwhile, comparable sales (excluding last year’s extra week) climbed 3%, easily topping forecasts of 2.1%.

While the retailer posted record-breaking December sales, it was Aerie that carried the squad. The popular intimates brand soared to record revenue of $539 million with 6% comp sales growth for the fourth quarter, outshining the American Eagle brand, which eked out just 1% growth.

But spring may be off to a chilly beginning. CEO Jay Schottenstein warned that the current quarter is “off to a slower start than expected” as demand cools and winter lingers. Looking ahead, American Eagle expects a single-digits dip in sales, with gross margins also trending lower year over year. For the full year, its expected operating income of $360 million to $375 million came in shy of the Street’s estimate for $380 million. This marks yet another retailer that managed to exceed earnings estimates in the fourth quarter but is disappointing analysts with its view on what’s coming next.

Investors haven’t warmed up to the stock, either — American Eagle shares have lost more than half their value over the past year.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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