American Eagle Outfitters key April revenue figure falls; co. reiterates 1Q guidance

American Eagle key sales figure falls in April

PITTSBURGH — Teen clothing chain American Eagle Outfitters Inc. said Thursday that its April revenue at stores open at least a year fell 6 percent.

Analysts expected the figure to fall 3.9 percent in the four-week period ending May 2, according to Thomson Reuters.

The figure is considered key for retailers because it measures growth at existing stores rather than including new ones.

Revenue for the month fell 1 percent to $192 million.

For the first quarter, revenue at stores open at least a year rose 5 percent, while total revenue grew 8 percent to $659 million. That’s above of analyst expectations of $652 million.

The retailer reiterated its first-quarter guidance of earnings per share ranging from 15 cents to 17 cents, on an adjusted basis. That excludes certain one-time items and compares to an adjusted profit of 11 cents per share during the same period last year. Analysts expect the company to earn 17 cents a share in the quarter. Their estimates typically do not include one-time items.

American Eagle has nearly 1,100 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Its shares slipped 48 cents or 3 percent to $16 in premarket trading Thursday.