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PNC & AIR are 2 Top Stocks to Watch After Earnings
In a busy week that includes much-anticipated quarterly reports, a pair of standouts among the finance and aerospace sectors shouldn’t be overlooked.
Sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), these two top-rated stocks are benefiting from strong business industries and are worthy of investors' consideration after exceeding their quarterly expectations on Wednesday and posting sound growth on their top and bottom lines.
PNC’s Q2 Results Lead Regional Banks
Showcasing steady expansion in terms of loan growth and net interest income, PNC (PNC - Free Report) continued to excel as a premier regional bank that sets itself apart through its investment solutions. Because of such, PNC belongs to the Zacks Financial-Investment Bank Industry, which is currently in the top 15% of over 240 Zacks industries.
With its performance among the top tier of regional banks, PNC showed positive operating leverage (revenue outpacing expense growth) while accelerating customer acquisition and expansion in high-growth markets. Furthermore, PNC illustrated a strong capital position with a CET1 ratio of 10.5%, a key financial metric that measures a bank’s core equity capital relative to its total risk-weighted assets and must be at least 8% for commercial banking institutions.
PNC’s Q2 sales were up 5% year over year to $5.68 billion, edging estimates of $5.61 billion. Even better, PNC’s earnings spiked 16% to $3.85 per share compared to Q2 EPS of $3.30 a year ago. This surpassed the Zacks EPS Consensus of $3.56 by 8% with PNC now exceeding earnings expectations for 10 consecutive quarters.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Additionally, PNC stock stands out after officially announcing it will be increasing its quarterly dividend by 10 cents to $1.70 per share, with an annual yield currently at a generous 3.51% and well above its industry average of 1.92%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
AAR Sets the Tone for Aerospace-Defense Expectations
Pivoting to the aerospace standout, this sector has been on fire this year in correlation with increased global defense spending, and AAR Corp’s (AIR - Free Report) results for its fiscal fourth quarter helped justify investors' enthusiasm. At the moment, AAR Corp's Zacks Aerospace-Defense Equipment Industry is in the top 30% of all Zacks industries.
As a brief overview, AAR Corp is headquartered in Illinois and was incorporated in 1951, providing various products and services to the aviation and defense industries worldwide. Notably, AAR Corp's principal customers include The Boeing Company (BA - Free Report) and Airbus Group (EADSY - Free Report) .
AAR Corp's Q4 sales were up 15% to $754.5 million and impressively topped estimates of $691.02 million by 9%. Taking advantage of increased demand, AAR Corp's Q4 earnings soared 32% to $1.16 per share from EPS of $0.88 in the comeparative quarter. More impressive, AAR Corp comfortably surpassed its Q4 earnings expectations of $1.00 per share and has now reached or exceeded the Zacks EPS Consensus for a remarkable 30 consecutive quarters, dating back to March of 2018.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
As one of the market’s top performers this year, AAR Corp's stock is up +40% in 2025 and is sitting on gains of more than +100% in the last three years, with the company’s quarterly earnings consistency also illustrated by the green arrows in the Price, Consensus, and EPS Surprise chart below.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Conclusion & Final Thoughts
Following their strong quarterly results, what further makes PNC and AAR Corp’s stock stand out is their attractive valuations, with both checking a “B” Zacks Style Scores grade for Value. Trading at very reasonable forward earnings multiples of less than 17X, respectively, PNC and AAR Corp’s stock also trade well under the optimum level of less than 2X forward sales. Keeping this in mind, investors certainly shouldn’t overlook their impressive reports, making now a good time to buy these top-rated stocks.
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PNC & AIR are 2 Top Stocks to Watch After Earnings
In a busy week that includes much-anticipated quarterly reports, a pair of standouts among the finance and aerospace sectors shouldn’t be overlooked.
Sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), these two top-rated stocks are benefiting from strong business industries and are worthy of investors' consideration after exceeding their quarterly expectations on Wednesday and posting sound growth on their top and bottom lines.
PNC’s Q2 Results Lead Regional Banks
Showcasing steady expansion in terms of loan growth and net interest income, PNC (PNC - Free Report) continued to excel as a premier regional bank that sets itself apart through its investment solutions. Because of such, PNC belongs to the Zacks Financial-Investment Bank Industry, which is currently in the top 15% of over 240 Zacks industries.
With its performance among the top tier of regional banks, PNC showed positive operating leverage (revenue outpacing expense growth) while accelerating customer acquisition and expansion in high-growth markets. Furthermore, PNC illustrated a strong capital position with a CET1 ratio of 10.5%, a key financial metric that measures a bank’s core equity capital relative to its total risk-weighted assets and must be at least 8% for commercial banking institutions.
PNC’s Q2 sales were up 5% year over year to $5.68 billion, edging estimates of $5.61 billion. Even better, PNC’s earnings spiked 16% to $3.85 per share compared to Q2 EPS of $3.30 a year ago. This surpassed the Zacks EPS Consensus of $3.56 by 8% with PNC now exceeding earnings expectations for 10 consecutive quarters.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Additionally, PNC stock stands out after officially announcing it will be increasing its quarterly dividend by 10 cents to $1.70 per share, with an annual yield currently at a generous 3.51% and well above its industry average of 1.92%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
AAR Sets the Tone for Aerospace-Defense Expectations
Pivoting to the aerospace standout, this sector has been on fire this year in correlation with increased global defense spending, and AAR Corp’s (AIR - Free Report) results for its fiscal fourth quarter helped justify investors' enthusiasm. At the moment, AAR Corp's Zacks Aerospace-Defense Equipment Industry is in the top 30% of all Zacks industries.
As a brief overview, AAR Corp is headquartered in Illinois and was incorporated in 1951, providing various products and services to the aviation and defense industries worldwide. Notably, AAR Corp's principal customers include The Boeing Company (BA - Free Report) and Airbus Group (EADSY - Free Report) .
AAR Corp's Q4 sales were up 15% to $754.5 million and impressively topped estimates of $691.02 million by 9%. Taking advantage of increased demand, AAR Corp's Q4 earnings soared 32% to $1.16 per share from EPS of $0.88 in the comeparative quarter. More impressive, AAR Corp comfortably surpassed its Q4 earnings expectations of $1.00 per share and has now reached or exceeded the Zacks EPS Consensus for a remarkable 30 consecutive quarters, dating back to March of 2018.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
As one of the market’s top performers this year, AAR Corp's stock is up +40% in 2025 and is sitting on gains of more than +100% in the last three years, with the company’s quarterly earnings consistency also illustrated by the green arrows in the Price, Consensus, and EPS Surprise chart below.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Conclusion & Final Thoughts
Following their strong quarterly results, what further makes PNC and AAR Corp’s stock stand out is their attractive valuations, with both checking a “B” Zacks Style Scores grade for Value. Trading at very reasonable forward earnings multiples of less than 17X, respectively, PNC and AAR Corp’s stock also trade well under the optimum level of less than 2X forward sales. Keeping this in mind, investors certainly shouldn’t overlook their impressive reports, making now a good time to buy these top-rated stocks.