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American Eagle Store At Fashion Valley In San Diego
(Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

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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Lululemon’s stretch getting tested: Stock plunges after after outlook is cut

Lululemon shares are down double digits in premarket trading after the company cut its full-year sales and profit outlook, overshadowing a Q1 beat and raising fresh concerns about the brand’s turnaround efforts.

The company now expects fiscal 2026 revenue to be flat to down 1%, compared with its prior forecast for 2% to 4% growth. Guidance for full-year diluted earnings per share was dragged down to a range of $10.95 to $11.15, below the company’s previous guidance of $12.10 to $12.30 and well below Wall Street’s estimate of $13.26.

Key numbers for Q1:

  • EPS of $1.69 vs. the $1.68 expected.

  • Revenue of $2.47 billion vs. the $2.43 billion expected.

The modest top-line beat masked a widening divergence between Lululemons geographic markets. While international revenue rose 22% overall with a 30% increase in Mainland China, the bigger problem remains North America, where revenue fell 5%.

Interim co-CEO and CFO Meghan Frank acknowledged during the earnings call that recent product rollouts underperformed. A highly anticipated yoga campaign failed to generate its expected halo effect across broader product lines.

Profitability metrics took a major hit, with gross margins contracting by 410 basis points to 54.2% due to mounting tariff costs and promotional markdowns. Operating income consequently fell 37% year over year to $276.9 million.

“We experienced spikes of negative commentary in the media and on social channels with regard to our brand, which had an impact on traffic and overall top-line performance,” Frank said during the earnings call. “And second, not all of our product launches have met our expectations. While we have had several successful launches so far this year, we have seen others as we start Q2 not generate the anticipated guest response.”

Lululemons valuation has already been steadily compressing for years. While it was once one of retails richly valued stocks, investors have been questioning whether the company can return to the double-digit growth era.

The results also arrive during a leadership transition. Lululemon announced back in April that former Nike executive Heidi ONeill is set to take over as CEO in September, with investors looking to her to revive growth in North America and restore the brands growth.

As Lululemon faces both macroeconomic pressure and brand-specific challenges, its stock has dropped around 40% year to date.

markets

US job growth skyrocketed in May, blasting past expectations

The US economy added 172,000 jobs in the month of May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, sending 10-year Treasury yields higher.

The strong May job market surprised economists. Experts had predicted only 85,000 new jobs — just half the reported number. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, as expected.

The job growth story is a hopeful spot for the economy as consumers continue to feel inflationary pressure from the Iran war.

Job gains were buoyed by the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 70,000 jobs, as well as local government, healthcare, and education.

Both the March and April jobs reports were revised upward, making them collectively 93,000 higher than previously reported.

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