ANF Stock Heads For Its Best Day In History – Increased Buyback Target, Raised Outlook And Record-Breaking Q2 Gets Investors Buzzing

• The company reported earnings of $4.17 per share in Q2, easily beating Wall Street’s estimates of $1.96 per share, according to Fiscal.ai.
• Abercrombie expects fiscal 2026 earnings of $13.10 to $13.60 per share, compared to its previous forecast of $10.20 to $11 per share.
• The retailer also increased its planned share repurchases to at least $500 million from $450 million.

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) surged 39% on Wednesday to their highest level in more than 19 months after the apparel retailer delivered a record second-quarter topline and raised its full-year outlook.

ANF shares appear on track to clock their biggest single-day gains in history.

ANF Posts Record Q2 Net Sales

Abercrombie reported record second-quarter net sales of $1.27 billion, up 5% from last year and marking its 15th consecutive quarter of growth. It also beat Wall Street estimates of about $1.26 billion, according to Fiscal.ai data.

Sales rose across all regions, with the Americas gaining 5%, Asia-Pacific surging 19% and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) climbing 2%.

The company reported earnings of $4.17 per share during the quarter, which included a benefit of about $1.75 from refunds tied to tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Excluding the tariff benefit, the company would have made $2.42 per share. Analysts on average expected earnings of $1.96 per share.

ANF Increases Share Buyback

Abercrombie expects fiscal 2026 earnings of $13.10 to $13.60 per share, sharply above its previous forecast of $10.20 to $11. The company expects the tariff refunds to add $2.10 per share to its full-year earnings.

It also raised its annual sales outlook to around 5% growth, compared to its earlier range of 3% to 5%. For the third quarter (Q3), Abercrombie forecast earnings of $2.90 to $3.20 per share.

The retailer also increased its planned share repurchases to at least $500 million from $450 million.

“For the year, we expect to grow sales and earnings per share, underpinned by double-digit operating margins, while delivering strong cash flow and returns of cash to shareholders through at least $500 million of share repurchases. We are so excited about the foundation we’ve built and the significant growth opportunities ahead to strengthen our brands and create long-term shareholder value,” said CEO Fran Horowitz.

Retail Mixed After ANF Rally

Retail sentiment surrounding ANF on Stocktwits turned ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bullish’ a day earlier, amid a 100% increase in message volumes.

One user on the platform called the surge an “irrational exuberance.” The user expects the stock to eventually fall to $130. It is currently trading around $154.

Another user said that “buy back, guidance raise, and short float” pushed the price of the “already cheap” stock higher.

The stock is up 20% so far in 2026.

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