Third quarter earnings season is winding down, but this week there are still over 250 companies expected to report earnings, with many of them being the specialty retailers and a couple of big technology names.
The retail sector has been one of the gloomiest groups on Wall Street. Many investors believe that they will ALL be Amazoned. But the department stores have already reported and it wasn’t too bad. Will the others surprise to the upside?
The technology stocks have performed almost the complete opposite of what the retailers have been doing. Most of them are soaring, including these 2 big names reporting this week.
All 5 companies have put together nice earnings surprise streaks. Can they keep it going this quarter?
5 Best Charts to Finish Earnings Season
1. Cisco (CSCO – Free Report) hasn’t missed since at least 2014. It’s one of the most dependable earnings names out there. Shares are again testing the 5-year highs. Will this earnings report boost the shares into break out territory?
2. Walmart (WMT – Free Report) has beat 8 quarters in a row. Shares have broken out to new 5-year highs. US comps were up 1.8% last quarter and international comps were positive in 9 out of 11 markets. Is this a whole new Walmart?
3. Williams-Sonoma (WSM – Free Report) has only missed once in the last 5 years but shares are near 5-year lows. West Elm is its big brand but weakness in Pottery Barn, and Amazon’s new furniture line, is spooking investors.
4. Applied Materials (AMAT – Free Report) has the best chart of the week. It has only missed once in the last 5 years and shares are soaring. Is it priced for perfection?
5. Ross Stores (ROST – Free Report) had a solid 4% comp last quarter but most retailers are being impacted by hurricanes, fires and earthquakes. Shares are off the highs but the discounters have been solid the last few years.
