AEO Updates Payment of Deferred First Quarter Cash Dividend of $0.1375 Per Share, Due to Strong Financial Condition

PITTSBURGH , December 03 /Businesswire/ - American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) announced that its Board of Directors has updated the record and payment dates of the previously-deferred first quarter 2020 cash dividend, which originally was declared on March 26, 2020 and deferred on April 2, 2020 in response to store closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The $0.1375 per share cash dividend is now payable on December 30, 2020 to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 16, 2020.

Jay Schottenstein, Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer commented, “In light of a strong third quarter and the significant progress we’ve made to strengthen our financial liquidity after the onset of COVID-19, we are pleased to pay our deferred first quarter dividend before the close of 2020. We have a long track record of consistent shareholder returns, and I look forward to reinstating our regular quarterly cash dividend and share repurchase program once business visibility improves.”

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. Our purpose is to show the world that there’s REAL power in the optimism of youth. The company operates stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Hong Kong, and ships to 81 countries worldwide through its websites. American Eagle and Aerie merchandise also is available at more than 200 international locations operated by licensees in 26 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. 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 on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020 and in any subsequently-filed Quarterly Reports on Form 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 the fourth quarter 2020 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 impact that the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 U.S. Presidential election and disruption related to social unrest will have on our operations and financial results, which is difficult to accurately predict; 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 in e-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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201203006128/en/