Why Aeropostale Shares Dropped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Aeropostale finished down 10% Friday after the teen-focused clothing retailer posted a weak quarterly earnings report.

So what: Aeropostale reported a per-share loss of $0.16 during the seasonally slow quarter, a penny better than analysts had predicted. Perhaps more concerning, overall revenue fell 9%, though that also topped analyst projections, and same-store sales tumbled 14%. The company blamed clearance markdowns from the holiday season for the revenue drop and also said colder-than-normal weather kept shoppers away. Guidance for the current quarter was lower than expected at a loss of $0.20-$0.15, versus a consensus of a loss of $0.06, indicating that the turnaround plan is not going as hoped.

Now what: The teen clothing market is notoriously fickle, and brand loyalty can change in a flash. A 14% drop in comparable sales would normally be alarming, but I'd wait to see the full year's results before assuming that pattern will hold. Rival Abercrombie & Fitch shares were off 8% after a similarly dismal quarter, so this may have just been a result of industrywide pressures. To stay up to date on the latest Aeropostale news, add the company to your Watchlist here.

The article Why Aeropostale Shares Dropped originally appeared on Fool.com.

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