Avnet (AVT) to Gain From IoT Initiatives in Q2 Earnings

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Avnet, Inc. (AVT - Free Report) is slated to release its second-quarter fiscal 2018 results on Jan 25. The question lingering on investors’ minds is whether this electronic components distributor will be able to post a positive earnings surprise this time around. Notably, Avnet has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters with an average positive earnings surprise of 5.3%.

For the quarter under review, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues and earnings are pegged at $4.43 billion and 72 cents, respectively.

What the Zacks Model Unveils?

According to the Zacks model, a company with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) has a good chance of beating estimates if it also has a positive Earnings ESP. The Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or #5) are best avoided.

Avnet has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of +1.39%. This indicates a likely positive surprise. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Factors to Consider

The company has been taking major restructuring steps to streamline its business in the past few months. In doing so, Avnet divested its Technology Solution business and currently deals in Electronics Marketing. Notably, the divestment of its troubled Technology Solution business has allowed Avnet to focus on high growth areas such as marketing electronic components and related products in the supply chain. We believe, its efforts are paying off as reflected in its last few quarterly results. Benefits from these initiatives are expected to continue and positively impact the company’s results in the soon-to-be reported quarter.

The company has been aggressively expanding in the Internet of Things (IoT) through acquisitions and partnerships, which is expected to positively impact its second-quarter results. Over the last year, the company has entered into several partnerships, including one with AT&T (T - Free Report) , and carried out acquisitions such as that of Dragon Innovation, Premier Farnell and Hackster.io.

Additionally, the company’s continuous share buyback initiative is anticipated to be beneficial for the bottom line in the second quarter.

Nonetheless, we are slightly skeptical about its bottom-line performance due to the near-term challenges it faces. On the first-quarter earnings call, Avnet highlighted that change in supplier channel and program had negatively impacted its first-quarter margins. We believe that this may continue to be a drag this quarter.

Some Other Stocks With a Favorable Combination

Here are some companies you may also want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat:

Facebook, Inc. has an Earnings ESP of +2.04% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.12% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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