American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) 8-K Comparable Sales Rose 8%, Marking 15 Straight Quarters of Positive Comp Growth

Exhibit 99.1

AEO Reports Record Third Quarter Sales of $1 Billion, Adjusted EPS Grows 30%

12.11.18

Comparable Sales Rose 8%, Marking 15 Straight Quarters of Positive Comp Growth

American Eagle Comps Rose 5%, Aerie Up 32%

PITTSBURGH — (BUSINESS WIRE) — American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) today reported EPS of $0.48 for the quarter ended November 3, 2018, compared to $0.36 for the quarter ended October 28, 2017, an increase of 33%. EPS of $0.48 increased 30% compared to adjusted EPS of $0.37 last year.

Jay Schottenstein, AEO’s Chief Executive Officer commented, “I am proud to announce another outstanding performance this period for AEO, marking record sales and our first $1 billion third quarter. American Eagle and Aerie had extremely well-executedback-to-school and fall seasons, fueling strong sales across stores and double-digit growth in digital, on lower promotional activity across channels. The holiday season is off to a positive start and I’d like to thank our teams for the exceptional effort and enthusiasm they are bringing to this holiday season. Looking forward, we will leverage our momentum and brand strength as we continue to drive growth and deliver returns to our shareholders.”

Adjusted amounts are based onNon-GAAP results, as presented in the accompanying GAAP toNon-GAAP reconciliation.

Third Quarter 2018 Results

• Total net revenue increased $43 million, or 5% to $1.004 billion compared to $960 million last year. As a result of the shifted 2018 retail calendar, approximately $40 million of total net revenue shifted out of the third quarter and was recorded in the second quarter. The shift of revenue adversely affected third quarter operating income.

• Consolidated comparable sales increased 8% over the comparable period ending November 4, 2017, following a 3% increase last year.

• By brand, American Eagle comparable sales increased 5%, building on a 1% increase last year. Aerie’s comparable sales increased 32%, following a 19% increase last year, marking the 16^th consecutive quarter of double-digit comp growth.

• Gross profit increased 7% to $399 million from gross profit of $375 million last year. The gross margin rate increased 80 basis points to 39.8% of revenue compared to 39.0% last year. Lower markdowns and rent leverage were slightly offset by increased delivery costs.

• Selling, general and administrative expense of $248 million increased 14% from $217 million last year. As a rate to revenue, SG&A rose 220 basis points to 24.8%. The dollar increase primarily supported key investments in our brands, the customer experience and our associates with increases in store payroll, higher wages, and incremental advertising and incentive expense.

• Depreciation and amortization expense decreased 2% to $42 million, improving 30 basis points to 4.2%.

• Operating income of $109 million compared to $111 million last year, a decrease of $2 million, or 2%. Operating income decreased 5% to $109 million from adjusted operating income of $115 million last year. As a rate to revenue operating income was 10.8%.

• Third quarter operating income declined due to the shifted retail calendar as noted above.Year-to-date adjusted operating income increased 14% to $237 million and the adjusted operating margin increased 40 basis points to 8.5% as a rate to revenue compared to the same period last year.

• Other income of $4 million includes a benefit from a vendor settlement and interest income. This compares to other expense of $13 million last year due to a discrete charge of $14 million to reserve against a receivable.

• The effective tax rate decreased to 24.3% compared to an adjusted rate of 35.1% last year, primarily due to the impact of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Act”). The company continues to analyze the impact of the Tax Act and provisional amounts will be finalized in the fourth quarter of 2018.

• EPS of $0.48 compared to EPS of $0.36 last year. EPS increased 30% compared to adjusted EPS of $0.37 last year.

Inventory

Total ending inventories at cost increased 11% to $592 million. This is primarily due to strong customer demand, the timing of holiday receipts and our clearance store strategy. Looking forward, we expect fourth quarter ending inventory to be up in themid- to high- single digits.

Capital Expenditures

In the third quarter, capital expenditures totaled $43 million, with more than half related to store remodeling projects and new openings, and the balance to support the digital business, omni-channel tools and general corporate maintenance. We continue to expect capital expenditures to be in the range of $180 million to $190 million this year.

Shareholder Returns, Cash and Investments

During the third quarter, the company repurchased one million shares for approximately $25 million. Through the third quarter share repurchase and cash dividends, the company returned a total of $50 million to shareholders. As a result of strong free cash flow, we ended the quarter with total cash and investments of $360 million compared to $258 million last year.

Store Information

During the quarter, the company opened 5 American Eagle stores and closed 3, ending with 941 stores, including 142 Aerieside-by-side locations. The company opened 2 Aerie stand-alone stores and closed 1, ending with 110 Aerie stand-alone stores. Internationally, the company ended the quarter with 223 licensed stores. For additional store information, see the accompanying table.

Fourth Quarter Outlook

The company expects fourth quarter EPS of $0.40 to $0.42, based on comparable sales in the positivemid- single digits and total revenue growth in the low single digits. This guidance reflects approximately $60 million of lost revenue and $0.07 of reduced EPS due to operating with one less week in the fourth quarter than last year as a result of the 53^rd week in fiscal 2017.

The guidance assumes a tax rate of approximately 27% due to the impact of recently updated tax reform transition tax legislation and other discrete items. Guidance excludes potential asset impairment and restructuring charges. Last year the company reported fourth quarter EPS of $0.52, which included approximately $0.08 per share of tax benefit. Excluding these items, last year’s fourth quarter adjusted EPS was $0.44. See the accompanying table for the GAAP toNon-GAAP reconciliation.

Conference Call and Supplemental Financial Information

Today, management will host a conference call and real time webcast at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time. To listen to the call, dial1-877-407-0789 or internationally dial1-201-689-8562 or go towww.aeo-inc.com to access the webcast and audio replay. Additionally, a financial results presentation is posted on the company’s website.

Non-GAAP Measures

This press release includes information onnon-GAAP financial measures(“non-GAAP” or “adjusted”), including earnings per share information and the consolidated results of operations excludingnon-GAAP items. These financial measures are not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and are not necessarily comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management believes that thisnon-GAAP information is useful for an alternate presentation of the company’s performance, when reviewed in conjunction with the company’s GAAP financial statements. These amounts are not determined in accordance with GAAP and therefore, should not be used exclusively in evaluating the company’s business and operations.

* * * *

About American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is a leading global specialty retailer offering high-quality,on-trend clothing, accessories and personal care products at affordable prices under its American Eagle^® and Aerie^® brands. The company operates more than 1,000 stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Hong Kong, and ships to 81 countries worldwide through its websites. American Eagle Outfitters and Aerie merchandise also is available at more than 200 international locations operated by licensees in 25 countries. For more information, please visit www.aeo-inc.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

This release and related statements by management contain forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which represent our expectations or beliefs concerning future events, including fourth quarter 2018 results. All forward-looking statements made by the company involve material risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on many important factors, some of which may be beyond the company’s control. Words such as “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “potential,” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise and even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied therein will not be realized.

The following factors, in addition to the risks disclosed in Item 1A., Risk Factors, of the company’s Annual Report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 3, 2018 and in any subsequently-filed Quarterly Reports onForm 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in some cases have affected, and in the future could affect, the company’s financial performance and could cause actual results for fourth quarter 2018 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any of the forward-looking statements included in this release or otherwise made by management: the risk that the company’s operating, financial and capital plans may not be achieved; our inability to anticipate customer demand and changing fashion trends and to manage our inventory commensurately; seasonality of our business; our inability to achieve planned store financial performance; our inability to react to raw material cost, labor and energy cost increases; our inability to gain market share in the face of declining shopping center traffic; our inability to respond to changes ine-commerce and leverage omni-channel demands; our inability to expand internationally; difficulty with our international merchandise sourcing strategies; challenges with information technology systems, including safeguarding against security breaches; and changes in global economic and financial conditions, and the resulting impact on consumer confidence and consumer spending, as well as other changes in consumer discretionary spending habits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and liquidity.

CONTACT:

Olivia Messina

412-432-3300

LineMedia@ae.com

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Dollars in thousands)

(unaudited)

	November 3, 2018			February 3, 2018			October 28, 2017
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$	279,872		$	413,613		$	257,527
Short-term investments		79,856			—			—
Merchandise inventory		591,671			398,213			534,019
Accounts receivable, net		84,074			78,304			77,113
Prepaid expenses and other		87,995			78,400			61,553
Total current assets		1,123,468			968,530			930,212
Property and equipment, net		735,714			724,239			726,168
Intangible assets, net		44,164			46,666			46,979
Goodwill		14,898			15,070			14,972
Non-current deferred income taxes		12,796			9,344			29,025
Other assets		50,442			52,464			54,424
Total Assets	$	1,981,482		$	1,816,313		$	1,801,780
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Accounts payable	$	343,360		$	236,703		$	330,716
Accrued compensation and payroll taxes		56,991			54,324			43,561
Accrued rent		87,410			83,312			80,580
Accrued income and other taxes		29,340			12,781			17,262
Unredeemed gift cards and gift certificates		30,392			52,347			29,475
Current portion of deferred lease credits		11,337			11,203			12,887
Other current liabilities and accrued expenses		48,317			34,551			38,359
Total current liabilities		607,147			485,221			552,840
Deferred lease credits		48,220			47,977			50,439
Non-current accrued income taxes		7,229			7,269			4,590
Othernon-current liabilities		23,474			29,055			30,712
Totalnon-current liabilities		78,923			84,301			85,741
Commitments and contingencies		—			—			—
Preferred stock		—			—			—
Common stock		2,496			2,496			2,496
Contributed capital		565,316			593,770			588,978
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		(39,138	)		(30,795	)		(34,798	)
Retained earnings		2,002,687			1,883,592			1,812,821
Treasury stock, at cost		(1,235,949	)		(1,202,272	)		(1,206,298	)
Total stockholders’ equity		1,295,412			1,246,791			1,163,199
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity	$	1,981,482		$	1,816,313		$	1,801,780
Current Ratio		1.85			2.00			1.68

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Dollars and shares in thousands, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

	GAAP Basis 13 Weeks Ended
	November 3, 2018		% of Revenue			October 28, 2017			% of Revenue
Total net revenue	$	1,003,707		100.0	%	$	960,433			100.0	%
Cost of sales, including certain buying, occupancy and warehousing expenses		604,220		60.2	%		585,520			61.0	%
Gross profit		399,487		39.8	%		374,913			39.0	%
Selling, general and administrative expenses		248,438		24.8	%		217,146			22.6	%
Restructuring charges		—		0.0	%		3,695			0.4	%
Depreciation and amortization		42,416		4.2	%		43,149			4.5	%
Operating income		108,633		10.8	%		110,923			11.5	%
Other income (expense), net		4,330		0.4	%		(13,243	)		-1.4	%
Income before income taxes		112,963		11.2	%		97,680			10.1	%
Provision for income taxes		27,491		2.7	%		33,947			3.5	%
Net income	$	85,472		8.5	%	$	63,733			6.6	%
Net income per basic share	$	0.48				$	0.36
Net income per diluted share	$	0.48				$	0.36
Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic		176,938					177,228
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted		178,122					179,132

	39 Weeks Ended
	November 3, 2018		% of Revenue			October 28, 2017			% of Revenue
Total net revenue	$	2,791,522		100.0	%	$	2,566,826			100.0	%
Cost of sales, including certain buying, occupancy and warehousing expenses		1,734,491		62.1	%		1,621,441			63.2	%
Gross profit		1,057,031		37.9	%		945,385			36.8	%
Selling, general and administrative expenses		692,644		24.8	%		615,842			24.0	%
Restructuring charges		1,568		0.1	%		18,888			0.8	%
Depreciation and amortization		127,090		4.6	%		123,878			4.8	%
Operating income		235,729		8.5	%		186,777			7.2	%
Other income (expense), net		5,692		0.2	%		(19,574	)		-0.8	%
Income before income taxes		241,421		8.7	%		167,203			6.4	%
Provision for income taxes		55,687		2.0	%		56,997			2.2	%
Net income	$	185,734		6.7	%	$	110,206			4.2	%
Net income per basic share	$	1.05				$	0.62
Net income per diluted share	$	1.04				$	0.61
Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic		177,033					178,272
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted		178,278					180,260

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.

GAAP TONON-GAAP RECONCILIATION

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

	13 Weeks Ended October 28, 2017
	Operating Income			Net Income			Diluted Income per Common Share
GAAP Basis	$	110,923		$	63,733		$	0.36
% of Revenue		11.5	%		6.6	%
Add: Restructuring Related Charges(1):		3,695			2,065			0.01
Non-GAAP Basis	$	114,618		$	65,798		$	0.37
% of Revenue		11.9	%		6.8	%

(1) – $3.7 millionpre-tax restructuring related charges, consisting of:

• Corporate severance and related charges of ($2.4M) and corporate lease buyout charges of ($1.3M)

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.

GAAP TONON-GAAP RECONCILIATION

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

	39 Weeks Ended November 3, 2018
	Operating Income			Net Income			Diluted Income per Common Share
GAAP Basis	$	235,729		$	185,734		$	1.04
% of Revenue		8.5	%		6.7	%
Add: Restructuring Related Charges(1):		1,568			1,178			0.01
Non-GAAP Basis	$	237,297		$	186,912		$	1.05
% of Revenue		8.5	%		6.7	%

(1) – $1.6 million forpre-tax corporate charges, primarily consisting of corporate severence charges

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.

GAAP TONON-GAAP RECONCILIATION

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

	39 Weeks Ended October 28, 2017
	Gross Profit			Operating Income			Other (Expense) Income			Net Income			Diluted Income per Common Share
GAAP Basis	$	945,385		$	186,777			$ (19,574	)	$	110,206		$	0.61
% of Revenue		36.8	%		7.2	%		-0.8	%		4.2	%
Add: Restructuring Related Charges(1):		1,669			20,557			—			12,961			0.08
Add: Joint Business Venture Charges(2):		—			—			9,311			5,870			0.03
		1,669			20,557			9,311			18,831			0.11
Non-GAAP Basis	$	947,054		$	207,334			$ (10,263	)	$	129,037		$	0.72
% of Revenue		36.9	%		8.1	%		-0.4	%		5.0	%

(1) – $20.6 millionpre-tax restructuring related charges, consisting of:

• Inventory charges related to the restructuring of the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and China ($1.7M), recorded as a reduction of Gross Profit

• Lease buyouts, store closure charges and severance and related charges ($18.9M), which includes charges for the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and China and corporate overhead reductions, recorded within Restructuring Charges.

(2) – $9.3 millionpre-tax charges for the charges related to the planned exit of a joint business venture, recorded within Other (expense) income, net.

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.

GAAP TONON-GAAP RECONCILIATION

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

	14 Weeks Ended February 3, 2018
	Operating Income			Other Income			Net Income			Diluted Income per common share
GAAP Basis	$	116,011		$	3,959		$	93,957		$	0.52
% of Revenue		9.4	%		0.3	%		7.6	%
Add: Restructuring Charges(1):		1,723			—			1,073			0.00
Less: Joint Business Venture Charges(2):		—			(1,347	)		(839	)		(0.00	)
Less: U.S. Tax Reform Impact(3):		—			—			(14,948	)		(0.08	)
		1,723			(1,347	)		(14,714	)		(0.08	)
Non-GAAP Basis	$	117,734		$	2,612		$	79,243		$	0.44
% of Revenue		9.6	%		0.2	%		6.4	%

(1) – $1.7 millionpre-tax charges, for corporate and international restructuring.

(2) – $1.3 millionpre-tax benefit related to the exit of a joint business venture, recorded within Other income, net.

(3) – $14.9 million ofafter-tax benefit resulting from the estimated impact of U.S. tax legislation enacted on December 22, 2017, referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and related actions, specifically:

• The benefit of a lower blended U.S. corporate tax rate in fiscal 2017

• The net benefit from there-measurement of deferred tax balances and theone-time transition tax onun-repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries

• The acceleration of certain deductions into fiscal 2017

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.

COMPARABLE SALES RESULTS BY BRAND

(unaudited)

	Third Quarter Comparable Sales
	2018			2017
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.(1)		8	%		3	%
AE Total Brand(1)		5	%		1	%
aerie Total Brand(1)		32	%		19	%

(1) AEO Direct is included in consolidated and total brand comparable sales.

	YTD Third Quarter
	2018			2017
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.(1)		9	%		2	%
AE Total Brand(1)		5	%		0	%
aerie Total Brand(1)		32	%		23	%

(1) AEO Direct is included in consolidated and total brand comparable sales.

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.

STORE INFORMATION

(unaudited)

	Third Quarter 2018			YTD Third Quarter 2018			Fiscal 2018 Guidance
Consolidated stores at beginning of period		1,054			1,047			1,047
Consolidated stores opened during the period
AE Brand		5			13			15 - 20
Aerie stand-alone		2			4			10 - 15
Tailgate Clothing Co.		0			1			1
Todd Snyder		0			0			1
Consolidated stores closed during the period
AE Brand		(3	)		(5	)		(10) - (15	)
Aerie stand-alone		(1	)		(3	)		(5) - (10	)
Total consolidated stores at end of period		1,057			1,057			1,049—1,069
AE Brand		941
Aerie stand-alone		110
Aerieside-by-side(2)		142
Tailgate Clothing Co.		5
Todd Snyder		1
Stores remodeled and refurbished during the period		10			57			60 - 70
Total gross square footage at end of period		6,662			6,662			Not Provided
International license locations at end of period(1)		223			223			261
Aerieside-by-side stores(2)
New AE store		2			5			5 - 10
Remodeled AE store		8			19			20

(1) International license locations are not included in the consolidated store data or the total gross square footage calculation.

(2) Aerieside-by-side stores are included in the AE Brand store count as they are considered part of the AE Brand store to which they are attached.