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3 Earnings Reports to Watch Next Week

Release time:2019-12-18 13:54
Editor’s note: InvestorPlace’s Earnings Reports to Watch is updated weekly. Please check back next week for our latest earnings picks.

The earnings calendar is surprisingly full next week. And next week’s earnings reports, including several from big names, come at an interesting time for the market.

After all,  U.S. stocks saw their first real stumble in almost two months this week. A three-session decline that began on Friday took nearly 2% off the S&P 500. Investors started buying the modest dip on Tuesday afternoon, though flat trading on Thursday suggests even that optimism has faded.

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In other words, equities look a little shaky heading into the rest of the year. Next week’s earnings reports could change overall sentiment — or at least signal just how confident, or worried, the market truly is.

That said, reports from two big names don’t have quite the juice they might normally have. Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) already has released guidance for fiscal 2020, with its shares gaining nicely on that news. There’s likely little in the way of surprises coming when it reports on Thursday.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) released sales for its fiscal fourth quarter this week, and doesn’t give guidance. It’s worth keeping an eye on shaky trading of late, but there, too, earnings don’t seem likely to drive a major move.

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Earnings Report Date: Tuesday, December 10, before market open

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) isn’t the biggest company reporting next week. Its fiscal first quarter earnings report isn’t going to move the markets, and may not even generate all that much in the way of headlines.

Still, AutoZone earnings bear watching. At the least, they could move shares of rivals O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) and Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP), which like AZO sit in an interesting spot at the moment.

All three stocks fell rather sharply in 2017 amid fears of online competition from the likes of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). They’ve since rebounded — AZO stock has more than doubled from late 2017 lows — but there’s a question of just how much rally is left.

Indeed, the three names have traded relatively flat in recent months. As a result, this is a sector that looks like it needs a catalyst; blowout AutoZone earnings certainly would qualify.

Meanwhile, AZO stock looks like an interesting test for the market after earnings. Fears of online competition persist. Valuation is attractive relative to the market, but seems to make sense given external risks. Are investors willing to focus on valuation over risk? If they are with AZO, they might be elsewhere in the market too.

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