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Macy's, Target, Gap and Best Buy are part of Zacks Earnings Preview
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – November 2, 2020 – Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week’s list includes Macy’s (M), Target (TGT), Gap (GPS) and Best Buy (BBY).
Retail Sector's Strong Earnings Performance
The common view about the Retail sector is a space that has been particularly hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. This view gets reconfirmed when we see that Macy’s Q3 revenues declined by -21.9%. But then we have others like Target that saw its quarterly revenue jump +31.3%.
There are a number of other operators also in the latter category that don't fit the aforementioned common view of a space in distress. Given this, it is reasonable to expect this week’s lineup of results from the likes of Gap, Best Buy and others to give us additional evidence of both developments.
The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns did cause havoc in parts of the broader retail space, with restaurants and department stores particularly hard hit. But department stores were hardly in good shape in the pre-pandemic period, with many of these players struggling to come to grips with the secular shift to the online medium. The reality is that the pandemic only accelerated trends that were already in place.
The department store business model was already under stress before the pandemic and the added pressure of operating in such a tough environment will push some over the brink and others to make the needed adjustments to survive. Macy’s online sales increased +27% in Q3, with digital sales now accounting for 38% of the total. Macy’s and its peers have to continue investing in the digital offering while at the same time bringing its physical footprint to reflect the changed ground reality.
But there is more to the Retail sector than just department stores and many of those other parts of the space are very good under the circumstances. These include the big-box discounters like Walmart, Target and others and the home improvement operators like Home Depot, Lowes and others. All of these players have vibrant digital offerings that represent growing parts of their business. And then, of course, we have Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) and other pure-play digital players that have thrived in the pandemic.
Retail Sector Scorecard
For the Zacks Retail sector, one of the 16 Zacks sectors, we have already seen Q3 results from 27 of the 34 companies in the S&P 500 index. Total earnings for these Retail sector companies that have reported already are up +20.4% from the same period last year on +11.4% higher revenues, with 92.6% beating EPS estimates and an equal proportion beating revenue estimates.
An above-average proportion of retailers have been able to beat estimates thus far. That’s a behavior we have seen across the board from all sectors, with a much higher proportion of companies beating EPS and revenue estimates this earnings season.
With respect to the sector’s Q3 earnings and revenue growth pace (+20.4% earnings growth on +11.4% revenue growth), the picture changes meaningfully once Amazon’s results are removed from the sector’s aggregated reported numbers.
The online vendor accounts for roughly 42% of the sector’s total market capitalization in the S&P 500 index and accounts for 22.1% of the sector’s total earnings that have come out already. We know that Amazon’s Q3 earnings were up +196.7% on +37.4% higher revenues.
Excluding contribution from Amazon, the Zacks Retail sector’s Q3 earnings would actually be up only +3.1% on +6.8% higher revenues.
For Q3 as a whole for the sector, combining the results that have come out with estimates for the still-to-come companies, total earnings are expected to be down +20.2% from the same period last year on +10.9% higher revenues. Excluding Amazon, the sector’s Q3 earnings would be up +4.1% on +6.9% higher revenues.
All in all, it is hard to call the sector’s Q3 results as anything but positive and strong, the seemingly never-ending department store pain notwithstanding.
Q3 Earnings Season Scorecard (as of Friday, November 20th)
We now have Q3 results from 475 S&P 500 members or 95% of the index’s total membership. Total earnings (or aggregate net income) for these 475 companies are down -7.7% from the same period last year on -1.1% lower revenues, with 84.8% beating EPS estimates and 76.4% beating revenue estimates.
Not only is the pace of declines decelerating, but also a much bigger proportion of companies are beating EPS and revenue estimates.
The reporting cycle slows down in a notable way going forward, with this week bringing in more than 70 companies to report Q3 results, including 12 S&P 500 members. The notable companies reporting results this week, besides the aforementioned retailers, include Deere & Company (DE - Free Report) , Autodesk (ADSK - Free Report) , Agilent (A - Free Report) and others.
Looking at Q3 as a whole, combining the actual results that have come out with estimates for the still-to-come companies, total earnings for the index are expected to be down -7.8% on -1% lower revenues.
The key factor from the market’s standpoint is how estimates for 2020 Q4 evolve as we see the last two dozen or so reports come out and look ahead to the early Q4 reporters. The trend thus far is positive.
Please note that the revisions trend appears to have levelled off in recent days, with estimates effectively stalling out over the last two weeks.
The annual growth picture approximates to an index ‘EPS’ of $132.54 for 2020, down from $159.69 in 2019 and $161.29 in 2021.
For an in-depth look at the overall earnings picture and expectations for the coming quarters, please check out our weekly Earnings Trends report>>>> Diving into Retail Sector Earnings
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Macy's, Target, Gap and Best Buy are part of Zacks Earnings Preview
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – November 2, 2020 – Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week’s list includes Macy’s (M), Target (TGT), Gap (GPS) and Best Buy (BBY).
Retail Sector's Strong Earnings Performance
The common view about the Retail sector is a space that has been particularly hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. This view gets reconfirmed when we see that Macy’s Q3 revenues declined by -21.9%. But then we have others like Target that saw its quarterly revenue jump +31.3%.
There are a number of other operators also in the latter category that don't fit the aforementioned common view of a space in distress. Given this, it is reasonable to expect this week’s lineup of results from the likes of Gap, Best Buy and others to give us additional evidence of both developments.
The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns did cause havoc in parts of the broader retail space, with restaurants and department stores particularly hard hit. But department stores were hardly in good shape in the pre-pandemic period, with many of these players struggling to come to grips with the secular shift to the online medium. The reality is that the pandemic only accelerated trends that were already in place.
The department store business model was already under stress before the pandemic and the added pressure of operating in such a tough environment will push some over the brink and others to make the needed adjustments to survive. Macy’s online sales increased +27% in Q3, with digital sales now accounting for 38% of the total. Macy’s and its peers have to continue investing in the digital offering while at the same time bringing its physical footprint to reflect the changed ground reality.
But there is more to the Retail sector than just department stores and many of those other parts of the space are very good under the circumstances. These include the big-box discounters like Walmart, Target and others and the home improvement operators like Home Depot, Lowes and others. All of these players have vibrant digital offerings that represent growing parts of their business. And then, of course, we have Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) and other pure-play digital players that have thrived in the pandemic.
Retail Sector Scorecard
For the Zacks Retail sector, one of the 16 Zacks sectors, we have already seen Q3 results from 27 of the 34 companies in the S&P 500 index. Total earnings for these Retail sector companies that have reported already are up +20.4% from the same period last year on +11.4% higher revenues, with 92.6% beating EPS estimates and an equal proportion beating revenue estimates.
An above-average proportion of retailers have been able to beat estimates thus far. That’s a behavior we have seen across the board from all sectors, with a much higher proportion of companies beating EPS and revenue estimates this earnings season.
With respect to the sector’s Q3 earnings and revenue growth pace (+20.4% earnings growth on +11.4% revenue growth), the picture changes meaningfully once Amazon’s results are removed from the sector’s aggregated reported numbers.
The online vendor accounts for roughly 42% of the sector’s total market capitalization in the S&P 500 index and accounts for 22.1% of the sector’s total earnings that have come out already. We know that Amazon’s Q3 earnings were up +196.7% on +37.4% higher revenues.
Excluding contribution from Amazon, the Zacks Retail sector’s Q3 earnings would actually be up only +3.1% on +6.8% higher revenues.
For Q3 as a whole for the sector, combining the results that have come out with estimates for the still-to-come companies, total earnings are expected to be down +20.2% from the same period last year on +10.9% higher revenues. Excluding Amazon, the sector’s Q3 earnings would be up +4.1% on +6.9% higher revenues.
All in all, it is hard to call the sector’s Q3 results as anything but positive and strong, the seemingly never-ending department store pain notwithstanding.
Q3 Earnings Season Scorecard (as of Friday, November 20th)
We now have Q3 results from 475 S&P 500 members or 95% of the index’s total membership. Total earnings (or aggregate net income) for these 475 companies are down -7.7% from the same period last year on -1.1% lower revenues, with 84.8% beating EPS estimates and 76.4% beating revenue estimates.
Not only is the pace of declines decelerating, but also a much bigger proportion of companies are beating EPS and revenue estimates.
The reporting cycle slows down in a notable way going forward, with this week bringing in more than 70 companies to report Q3 results, including 12 S&P 500 members. The notable companies reporting results this week, besides the aforementioned retailers, include Deere & Company (DE - Free Report) , Autodesk (ADSK - Free Report) , Agilent (A - Free Report) and others.
Looking at Q3 as a whole, combining the actual results that have come out with estimates for the still-to-come companies, total earnings for the index are expected to be down -7.8% on -1% lower revenues.
The key factor from the market’s standpoint is how estimates for 2020 Q4 evolve as we see the last two dozen or so reports come out and look ahead to the early Q4 reporters. The trend thus far is positive.
Please note that the revisions trend appears to have levelled off in recent days, with estimates effectively stalling out over the last two weeks.
The annual growth picture approximates to an index ‘EPS’ of $132.54 for 2020, down from $159.69 in 2019 and $161.29 in 2021.
For an in-depth look at the overall earnings picture and expectations for the coming quarters, please check out our weekly Earnings Trends report>>>> Diving into Retail Sector Earnings
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>
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Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.