Month: February 2018

Papa John’s International, Inc. PZZA is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2017 results on Feb 27, after market close. The company’s continued international expansion plans, strategic partnerships and strong digital platform are likely to reflect in fourth-quarter results encouraging top-line performance […]

Sun Hydraulics Corporation SNHY yesterday announced that it has signed an agreement with Capvis Equity IV LP to acquire Milan, Italy-based Faster Group from the latter. The transaction value is estimated at €430 million or roughly $531 million in cash. Faster Group specializes in manufacturing quick-release couplings, especially those for hydraulics […]

Intuit Inc. INTU is set to report second-quarter fiscal 2018 results on Feb 22. The company’s revenues are likely to benefit from higher adoption of the company’s enriched product suite. […]

On Feb 20, Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company reported robust first-quarter fiscal 2018 results, wherein both the top and the bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. […]

Major indices regained stability following an erratic week that ended Feb 9. Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 4.3%, marking the largest gain since the election of Trump. On top of that, the S&P 500 registered a gain of 4.3% over the last five trading sessions through the week ending Feb 16, the highest since 2013 […]

Housing starts hit their highest level in more than a year in January after the sector recovered following a decline in December due to poor weather. Further, building permits, which is a reliable indicator of future demand, also increased appreciably. Overall, the monthly new residential construction report indicates that the sector is in fine fettle and likely has a strong year ahead. […]

Allegion plc ’s ALLE fourth-quarter 2017 adjusted earnings came in at $1.11 per share, beating with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 94 cents. Adjusted earnings were up a significant 37% from the prior-year quarter. Quarterly net revenues of $623 million also surpassed the consensus mark of $609.7 million […]

Windstream WIN is slated to report fourth-quarter 2017 results on Feb 22, before market open. Based in Arkansas, the company is a leading rural local exchange carrier in the United States. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.49 billion, reflecting year-over-year improvement of 13.7% […]

Alliant Energy Corporation LNT is slated to report fourth-quarter 2017 results after the market closes on Feb 22. In the third quarter, the utility company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 14.77%. […]

The Clorox Company CLX is proceeding with the implementation of its 2020 Strategy, aimed at improvement of categories and driving overall market share. This, in turn, is likely to boost the company's performance. […]

Whirlpool Corporation WHR has been gaining momentum lately on the back of its stringent focus on long-term goals for 2020, innovation strategy as well as global cost-based pricing and fixed cost reduction strategies. However, higher raw material inflation and lower volumes remain impediments. Notably, shares of Whirlpool have gained 3% in the past six months against the industry ’s decline of 11.7%. […]

Tractor Supply Company TSCO has been benefiting from store growth initiatives, ONETractor plan, effective inventory management and investments in everyday businesses. Also, the company is on track to gain from its sturdy omni-channel efforts. These actions have aided the company’s top and bottom line performances in recent years […]

The earnings season is at its tail end with about 398 S&P 500 companies having reported results till Feb 16, 2018. Various analysis and comparisons are being done by industry peers to gauge the underlying metrics and relative performance. Let us perform a similar analysis of two leading players in the Business Services sector to pick the best investment option based on the fourth-quarter 2017 earnings scorecard. […]

Cloud Peak Energy CLD reported a loss of 16 cents per share in fourth-quarter 2017, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of a penny. Revenues Revenues totaled $213.9 million, down approximately 6.1% year over year from $227.9 million. […]

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc . HIG has entered into an agreement to acquire Foremost Insurance branded small commercial lines business from Farmers Insurance Exchange, a California-based reciprocal insurer owned by its policyholders. Terms of the transaction were left undisclosed […]

Medtronic plc MDT reported third-quarter fiscal 2018 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.17, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Earnings rose 4.5% year over year. […]

Nokia Corporation NOK has signed a five-year contract with Tele2 to aid its enterprise customers with a smooth delivery of IoT (Internet of Things) services. The provision will be based on Nokia's worldwide IoT network grid (WING), a one-stop-shop IoT managed facility including a pre-integrated global IoT core network, connectivity management and dedicated IoT operations. Nokia WING will allow fast and economic delivery of IoT services to Tele2’s enterprise clients in the field of transport, healthcare, smart city and utilities with a view to manage their connectivity needs and assets worldwide. […]

The Western Union Co. WU seems poised for long-term growth on the back of its steady investment in digital platform, which has been yielding strong returns. Numerous alliances, pacts and deal renewals have also broadened the company’s network in the United States as well as across the globe. […]

The Travelers Companies, Inc . TRV is poised for growth, high retention rate, pricing gains, positive renewal rate changes and a solid capital management. This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) property and casualty insurer remains promising, banking on several growth prospects […]