The retail sector will be in the spotlight next week as Walmart (NYSE:WMT) reports earnings for the holiday quarter earnings and the huge CAGNY conference full of food and beverage companies runs for four days. On the economic front, FOMC minutes will drop on February 19, while the following two days will see reports on housing starts, building permits, existing home sales and manufacturing pour out. Coronavirus updates will also be closely watched, with a growing number of U.S. companies either pulling their full-year forecasts or guiding to the cautious side due to exposure to China.
Walmart earnings preview: Walmart is due to spill earnings on February 18. Analysts expect the retail giant to report revenue of $142.6B and EPS of $1.44. A shorter holiday period and a tough year-ago comparable in the toys and baby categories could make it tough for Walmart’s comp to dazzle. The consensus analyst mark is for comparable sales to be up 2.4% for Walmart U.S. and 1.2% for Sam’s Club. By comparison, Target reported comparable sales growth of 1.4% for the two-month holiday period in an update that set expectations lower for Walmart as well. It will be a full day for Walmart shareholders as the company is also hosting an investor community meeting on February 18 that will feature plenty of Q&A. The shares of Walmart are down 2.52% YTD.
New York Toy Fair: The annual toy fair is called the “can’t-miss” event for the $27B U.S. toy market. While new product reveals and toy awards are a big part of the gathering, industry giants Hasbro and Mattel also will take care of some financial housekeeping. Hasbro plans an investor update on February 21 with senior management including CEO Brian Goldner, CFO Deborah Thomas and COO John Frascotti. Mattel is also hosting securities analysts for a strategic business overview, followed by a tour of the company’s gallery. Over the last 52 weeks, Hasbro shares are up 8.2% and Mattel shares are down 15%.
Sources: CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, Credit Suisse, EDGAR, S3 Analytics
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