Finances

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) released its third quarter earnings report on Tuesday, December 2. The Pittsburgh-based lifestyle, clothing and accessories retailer reported an uptick in revenue, causing its stock price to increase over 11% following the release of the report.

Revenue for the third quarter came in at $1.36 billion. This was a 6% increase from revenue of $1.29 billion reported this time last year and better than analysts’ expectations of $1.32 billion.

“I am extremely pleased with the significant trend change across our business reflecting decisive steps taken from merchandising to marketing to operations—all having a positive impact,” said American Eagle’s CEO, Jay Schottenstein. “Strong momentum has continued into the fourth quarter, including an excellent start to the holiday season. We are focused on finishing the season strong and sustaining our success into 2026 and beyond.”

The company posted net income of $91.34 million or $0.53 per adjusted share. This was up from net income of $80.02 million or $0.41 per adjusted share reported during the same quarter last year.

American Eagle, the company’s namesake brand, saw comparable store sales increase 1% while Aerie’s comparable store sales grew 11%. Overall company inventory increased 11% from the same period last year, reaching $891 million. The increase was driven by increased demand, new store openings and improved stock. The company raised its full-year fiscal 2025 outlook and expects operating income to be in the range of $303 to $308 million, an increase from its previous outlook of $255 to $265 million. For the fourth quarter, the company projects its operating income to be in the range of $155 million to $160 million.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) shares closed at $23.09, up 14% for the week.

Dollar Tree Announces Earnings

Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR) reported its third quarter earnings on Wednesday, December 3. The discount retailer’s stock rose nearly 2% after reporting earnings and sales for the quarter that surpassed expectations.

The retail chain reported revenue that reached $4.75 billion during the quarter. This was up 9.4% from $4.34 billion in revenue at this time last year and exceeded analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion.

“Our multi-price strategy drove strong momentum across our business in the third quarter and helped deliver an all-time record Halloween season,” said Dollar Tree CEO, Mike Creedon. “I am incredibly proud of our team for delivering such a standout performance this quarter. And as we head into peak holiday season, we are ready to bring even more value, convenience, and discovery to our growing base of loyal customers.”

The company posted net income of $244.6 million or $1.20 per adjusted share. This was up from $233.3 million or $1.08 per adjusted share during the same quarter last year.

Dollar Tree opened 106 new stores and converted 30 Family Dollar stores, ending the quarter with a total of 9,269 stores. During the quarter, Dollar Tree’s same-store sales grew by 4.2%, due to an increase of 4.5% in the average ticket offset by a slight decline in traffic. Third quarter gross margin increased 40 basis points, reaching 35.8% in the quarter. The increase was attributed to improved pricing initiatives, lower freight costs and favorable sales mix. Dollar Tree updated its fourth quarter 2025 outlook to sales of $5.4 billion to $5.5 billion and earnings per adjusted share between $2.40 to $2.60.

Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR) shares ended the week at $122.44, up 11% for the week.

Salesforce Posts Quarterly Report

Salesforce, Inc. (CRM) posted its quarterly earnings report for the third quarter on Wednesday, December 3. Despite missing revenue estimates, the business software company raised its full-year fiscal guidance, sending its stock prices higher by more than 2% following the earnings release.

The San Francisco-based company reported revenue of $10.26 billion, up 11% from $9.44 billion in revenue at this time last year. This was slightly below analysts’ expected revenue of $10.27 billion for the quarter.

"We are raising fiscal year 2026 revenue guidance to $41.45 billion to $41.55 billion, and Q3 cRPO was exceptional, up 11% year-over-year at $29.4 billion, signaling a powerful pipeline of future revenue,” said Salesforce CEO, Marc Benioff. “Our Agentforce and Data 360 products are the momentum drivers, hitting nearly $1.4 billion in ARR—an explosive 114% year-over-year gain. We now have over 9,500 paid Agentforce deals and 3.2 trillion tokens processed, underscoring our leadership in building the Agentic Enterprise and driving real outcomes."

Salesforce posted net income for the quarter of $2.09 billion or $2.19 per adjusted share. During the same quarter last year, the company reported net income of $1.53 billion or $1.58 per adjusted share.

Salesforce’s subscription and support revenue grew year-over-year to $9.7 billion. The company’s professional services and other revenues experienced a decline to $533 million from $565 million the prior year. For the fourth quarter, Salesforce anticipates revenue to range between $11.13 to $11.23 billion. For the full fiscal year 2026, Salesforce raised its earnings forecast to $7.22 to $7.24 per adjusted share on revenue of $41.45 billion to $41.55 billion.

Salesforce, Inc. (CRM) shares ended the week at $260.57, up 14% for the week.

The Dow started the week of 12/1 at 47,581 and closed at 47,955 on 12/5. The S&P 500 started the week at 6,812 and closed at 6,870. The NASDAQ started the week at 23,172 and closed at 23,578.

U.S. Treasury yields varied early in the week as investors waited for the latest job hiring numbers from the private sector. Yields rose at the end of the week as the latest employment data suggested that future interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve are likely.

On Wednesday, ADP reported that private sector hiring rose less than expected in November, indicating a weakening labor market. The payroll processing company detailed that private payrolls decreased by 32,000 in November, far below the revised gain of 47,000 in October and below analysts’ expectations of an increase of 40,000.

“Hiring has been choppy of late as employers weather cautious consumers and an uncertain macroeconomic environment,” said chief economist at ADP, Dr. Nela Richardson. “And while November's slowdown was broad-based, it was led by a pullback among small businesses.”

The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield opened the week of December 1 at 4.02% and traded as high as 4.11% on Thursday. The 30-year Treasury bond opened the week at 4.67% and traded as high as 4.77% on Thursday.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial claims for unemployment dropped by 27,000 to 191,000 for the week ending November 29. This was below economists’ estimates of 220,000. Continuing unemployment claims decreased by 4,000 to 1.94 million.

"The latest week for claims data included the Thanksgiving holiday, and holidays often distort claims data, so this release should be taken with a big grain of salt," said chief economist at Comerica Bank, Bill Adams. “The Fed is not happy to see inflation overshooting their target for a fourth year running. But Fed policymakers are likely to see larger risks to the job market than to inflation.”

The 10-year Treasury note yield ended the week of 12/1 at 4.14%, while the 30-year Treasury note yield finished the week at 4.79%.

Freddie Mac released its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey on Thursday, December 4. The survey showed mortgage rates falling for a second consecutive week.

This week, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 6.19%, down from last week’s average of 6.23%. Last year at this time, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 6.69%.

The 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 5.44% this week, down from last week’s 5.51%. During the same week last year, the 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 5.96%.

“Mortgage rates decreased for the second straight week as we emerged from the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist, Sam Khater. “Compared to this time last year, mortgage rates are half a percent lower, creating a more favorable environment for homebuyers and homeowners.”

Based on published national averages, the savings rate was 0.40% as of 11/17. The one-year CD averaged 1.64%.

Editor’s Note: The publicly available financial information is offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends. This article is not an endorsement of any company, product or service.