Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AEO scored 67.8, FIVE scored 83.0 — FIVE leads.
Compare another set
AEO
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Apparel Retail · Quality-Growth
67.8
$18.17 · $3.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
15.2
FIVE leads
FIVE
Five Below, Inc.
Specialty Retail · Quality-Growth
83
$214.73 · $11.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestAEO9.3x
Fastest growthFIVE+22.9%
Strongest balance sheetFIVE0.82
Highest qualityFIVE78 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueAEO-29%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AEO
stronger →← stronger
FIVE
74
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
78
58
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
94
73
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
78
FIVE is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AEO
FIVE
$343mC
FCF
$599mC+
+4.1%C+
Rev
+22.9%A-
1.09B
D/E
0.82B
9.3xA
P/E
19.2xB
3.34D
PEG
0.98B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AEO
FIVE
29% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
9% below
~-4%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~10%/yr
+39%
1-yr DCF upside
-9%
+40%
5-yr DCF upside
+10%
+41%
10-yr DCF upside
+47%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AEO
No notable signals flagged.
FIVE
Why this score
Durable high returns
The companies
AEOAmerican Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Apparel Retail · $18.17 · beta 1.26
Why now
Apparel Retail · market cap $3.0b. Down 36% from 52-week high of $28.46 — deep drawdown territory. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $18.55 (implying +2% upside).
Moat
ROE 20% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 102% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Down 36% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
FIVEFive Below, Inc.
Specialty Retail · $214.73 · beta 0.94
Why now
Specialty Retail · market cap $11.8b. 19% off the 52-week high of $263.88. Revenue growing +23%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.98 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 21 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $310.48 (implying +45% upside).
Moat
ROE 28% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 97% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AEO and FIVE diverge
On the headline score the gap is 15.2 points in favor of FIVE. The widest single difference is Growth, where FIVE leads by 35.4 points.
GrowthAEO 58.4 · FIVE 93.8FIVE +35.4
ValueAEO 72.7 · FIVE 77.7FIVE +5.0
QualityAEO 73.6 · FIVE 78.3FIVE +4.7
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is FIVE or AEO the better stock?
FIVE scores higher: FIVE 83.0, AEO 67.8 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do FIVE and AEO differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where FIVE leads by 35 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. FIVE leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are FIVE and AEO scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.