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What's in the Cards for Expeditors (EXPD) in Q4 Earnings?

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Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD - Free Report) is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 19, before the market opens.

Last reported quarter, the company delivered better-than-expected earnings and revenues. Moreover, both metrics improved on a year-over-year basis. Growth across all major divisions of the company aided results. Also, the company boasts an impressive earnings history, having outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four reported quarters, the average being 12.2%.

Let’s see, how things shape up for this announcement.

Factors Likely at Play

Similar to the last few quarters, Expeditors is anticipated to witness growth across all its divisions in the fourth quarter as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for net revenues in the Airfreight unit stands at $237 million, higher than $218 million reported in the year-ago quarter.
 
The consensus mark for Customs Brokerage and Other Services is pegged at $299 million, above the reported figure of $270 million in the fourth quarter. Higher segmental revenues will in turn, boost Expeditors’ top line in the to-be-reported quarter. Robust freight pricing should also drive revenues in the period to be reported.

However, the company’s high operating expenses, primarily due to rise in labor expenses, might affect bottom-line growth. Additionally, with the company having substantial exposure in China, the US-China trade tensions might lower the volume of shipments and in turn, hamper overall results.

 
What Does Our Model Say?

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Expeditors is likely to beat on earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. However, that is not the case here as highlighted below. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Earnings ESP: Expeditors has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as both the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 85 cents per share.

Zacks Rank: Expeditors sports a Zacks Rank of 1, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company’s 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions.

Stocks to Consider

Investors interested in the broader Transportation sector can check out a few stocks worth considering like Azul SA (AZUL - Free Report) , Frontline Ltd. (FRO - Free Report) and Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. as these possess the perfect mix of elements to beat on earnings in the next releases.

Azul has an Earnings ESP of +8.16% and is a Zacks #1 Ranked player. The company will report fourth-quarter earnings numbers on Mar 14.

Frontline has an Earnings ESP of +4.17% and is a #1 Ranked player. The company is scheduled to announce final-quarter financial figures on Feb 28.

Gol Linhas has an Earnings ESP of +17.07% and a Zacks Rank #3. This company is set to release fourth-quarter results on Feb 28.

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