Earnings season is still in the early innings. With just over 10% of the S&P 500 having posted quarterly results thus far, investors have already seen their fair share of surprises.
Wal-Mart (WMT) stole the headlines last week as shares plunged after the company revised its FY 2017 EPS estimate from a modest increase to a decline in the range of 6% to 12%. This “warning”, if you will, from the behemoth of brick-and-mortar retailers has in turn brought the spotlight onto the retail industry.
Consider the chart below from FactSet’s latest weekly earnings insights which compares the estimated growth of various segments within the retail space.
Only time will tell if Wal-Mart’s dismal projection is their problem to deal with, or perhaps a predictor of more broad-based tailwinds for the entire retail industry.
ETFs to Play Earnings This Week
Below is a look at some of the biggest names reporting quarterly results this week on Wall Street.
See a list of all companies reporting earnings this week here.
Note that the ticker of each stock is linked to results from ETFdb’s proprietary (and free!) ETF Stock Exposure Tool. How does it work and what does it do? Just search for any ticker and you’ll see which ETFs hold that stock (if any) and how much of their portfolio is allocated to it.
- Boeing (BA) is expected to report EPS of $2.22 on Wednesday before the bell.
- American Express (AXP) is expected to report EPS of $1.31 on Wednesday before the bell.
- Yahoo! (YHOO) is expected to report EPS of 7 cents on Tuesday after the bell.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) is expected to report EPS of $4.62 on Tuesday after the bell.
- Coca-Cola (KO) is expected to report EPS of 50 cents on Wednesday before the opening bell.
- eBay (EBAY) is expected to report EPS of 33 cents on Wednesday after the bell.
- General Motors (GM) is expected to report EPS of $1.15 on Wednesday after the bell.
- SanDisk (SNDK) is expected to report EPS of 68 cents on Wednesday after the bell.
- Texas Instruments (TXN) is expected to report EPS of 67 cents on Wednesday after the bell.
- 3M (MMM) is expected to report EPS of $2.01 on Thursday before the bell.
- Alphabet Inc., aka Google (GOOG), is expected to report EPS of $5.88 on Thursday after the bell.
- Amazon.com (AMZN) is expected to report EPS of negative 10 cents on Thursday after the bell.
- AT&T (T) is expected to report EPS of 68 cents on Thursday after the bell.
- Caterpillar (CAT) is expected to report EPS of 75 cents on Thursday before the bell.
- McDonald’s (MCD) is expected to report EPS of $1.26 on Thursday before the bell.
- Union Pacific (UNP) is expected to report EPS of $1.43 on Thursday before the bell.
- Procter & Gamble (PG) is expected to report EPS of 95 cents on Friday before the bell.
Other Ways to Play
If you wish to make a broad-based bet instead this earnings season, be sure to utilize the sector ETFs that are available. Check out the ETF Trading Cheat Sheet as it also includes leveraged and inverse options for more seasoned traders who may want to amplify their exposure.
Be sure to also see 50 ETFs That Day Traders Love.
The Bottom Line
No matter what sort of play you may be executing this earnings season, whether it’s hedging your existing position with a sector ETF or betting on a “miss” with an inverse fund, be sure to take basic precautions so you don’t run the risk of starting off in a hole. This includes using limit orders when buying or selling and being mindful to take advantage stop-losses and trailing stops if you’re a more active trader.
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Image courtesy of Boaz Yiftach at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
