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Note: The following is an excerpt from this week’s Earnings Trends report. You can access the full report that contains detailed historical actual and estimates for the current and following periods, please click here>>>
Here are the key points:
Earnings estimates fell sharply in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, with full-year 2020 estimates now almost a quarter below the year-earlier level and even 2021 estimates now modestly below the 2019 level.
The massive negative revisions trend of the last three months appears to have eased in recent days, but that could change as companies start reporting June-quarter results next month and provide guidance.
Total S&P 500 earnings are expected to decline -43.9% in Q2 on -11% lower revenues, with the Utilities sector as the only one to experience modestly higher earnings relative to the year-earlier period.
The brunt of the earnings hit is expected to be in Q2 2020, but declines are expected to continue in the second half of the year as well, though the pace of declines decelerates significantly from the Q2 level.
The three sectors that are expected to lose money in Q2 (year-over-year declines of -100% or more) are Energy (-141.7% earnings decline), Autos (-229.7%) and Transportation (-151.4%).
Other sectors expected to suffer big earnings declines in Q2 include Consumer Discretionary (-95.3%), Conglomerates (-73.3%), Aerospace (-61.2%), Basic Materials (-58.4%), Industrial Products (-53%), Retail (-41.5%) and Finance (-38.7%).
The Technology sector stands out for having a lower earnings decline in Q2 relative to other sectors, with total earnings for the sector expected to decline -13.3% from the year-earlier period on -1.1% lower revenues.
For full-year 2020, total earnings for the S&P 500 index are currently expected to be down -24.0% on -5.7% lower revenues. This is down from close to +8% growth expected at the start of the year. For reference, S&P 500 earnings declined -19.1% in 2008 and -3.4% in 2009, though that was admittedly a different type of downturn.
Growth arrives next year, thanks to easy comparisons, but earnings in 2021 will still be below the 2019 level.
The implied ‘EPS’ for the index, calculated using current 2020 P/E of 26.2X and index close, as of June 9th, is $122.62 down from $161.30 in 2019. Using the same methodology, the index ‘EPS’ works out to $155.30 for 2021 (P/E of 20.7X), modestly below the 2019 level ($161.30). The multiples for 2020 and 2021 have been calculated using the index’s total market cap and aggregate bottom-up earnings for each year.
Please note that while full-year 2021 earnings for the S&P 500 index are currently expected to be up +26.7% from the steadily lowered 2020 level, the absolute dollar amount of 2021 earnings estimates remains below the 2019 level.
For the small-cap S&P 600 index, total Q2 earnings are projected to be down -84.2% from the same period last year on -16.2% lower revenues. This would follow an earnings decline of -81.1% in Q1 on -8.6% lower revenues.
While the Covid-19 driven lockdowns have started to ease in different parts of the country, the pandemic’s economic and earnings impact will remain with us for a while. In fact, our analysis of consensus earnings estimates shows that overall profitability for the S&P 500 index will not go back to pre-Covid (the 2019 level) even in 2021, with major sectors like Energy, Transportation, Consumer Discretionary, Industrial Products and even Finance expected to earn less in 2021 than they did in 2019.
The body of this report contains detailed tables showing these aggregate numbers at the index level, but you can get a sense of earnings expectations for these sectors by looking at Zacks Consensus estimates for bellwether operators in sectors like Finance and Consumer Discretionary.
We have been featuring operators like JPMorgan (JPM - Free Report) and Disney (DIS - Free Report) to make this point about the Finance and Consumer Discretionary sectors in recent weeks. But you can look at most other players in these (and other) sectors to determine that it will take them through 2022 to reach pre-Covid profitability levels.
But not every sector is expected to experience the earnings hit that these sectors are going through. The earnings declines for the Technology and Medical sectors this year are very modest and these sectors are expected to recoup those declines very quickly. As a result, 2021 earnings for the Tech and Medical sectors are expected to be up +9.0% and +12.9% over the 2019 levels, respectively.
No doubt, stocks in these spaces have been standout performers in the market’s rebound from the March 23rd lows.
You can clearly see the 2021 vs. 2019 comparison in the chart below.
Unlike the level of earnings, the rate of change on a year-over-year basis will turn positive next year in a major way, as the chart below shows.
Economic readings in recent days for May clearly show that activity levels improved markedly from the April levels, with the bottom somewhere in April. The hope is that this steady improving trend will continue in the coming months as well, even though the underlying healthcare issue is still very much with us.
In the best-case scenario, the bulk of the economic impact is confined to Q2, with growth trend stabilizing in Q3 and accelerating toward the end of the year. Driving this view is the expectation is that not only has the outbreak peaked already, but we are now likely better ‘trained’ to navigate it.
We will see if these expectations pan out.
Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation
Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, it’s expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.
A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks’ just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.
Image: Bigstock
Will We See Earnings Trough in Q2?
Note: The following is an excerpt from this week’s Earnings Trends report. You can access the full report that contains detailed historical actual and estimates for the current and following periods, please click here>>>
Here are the key points:
While the Covid-19 driven lockdowns have started to ease in different parts of the country, the pandemic’s economic and earnings impact will remain with us for a while. In fact, our analysis of consensus earnings estimates shows that overall profitability for the S&P 500 index will not go back to pre-Covid (the 2019 level) even in 2021, with major sectors like Energy, Transportation, Consumer Discretionary, Industrial Products and even Finance expected to earn less in 2021 than they did in 2019.
The body of this report contains detailed tables showing these aggregate numbers at the index level, but you can get a sense of earnings expectations for these sectors by looking at Zacks Consensus estimates for bellwether operators in sectors like Finance and Consumer Discretionary.
We have been featuring operators like JPMorgan (JPM - Free Report) and Disney (DIS - Free Report) to make this point about the Finance and Consumer Discretionary sectors in recent weeks. But you can look at most other players in these (and other) sectors to determine that it will take them through 2022 to reach pre-Covid profitability levels.
But not every sector is expected to experience the earnings hit that these sectors are going through. The earnings declines for the Technology and Medical sectors this year are very modest and these sectors are expected to recoup those declines very quickly. As a result, 2021 earnings for the Tech and Medical sectors are expected to be up +9.0% and +12.9% over the 2019 levels, respectively.
No doubt, stocks in these spaces have been standout performers in the market’s rebound from the March 23rd lows.
You can clearly see the 2021 vs. 2019 comparison in the chart below.
Unlike the level of earnings, the rate of change on a year-over-year basis will turn positive next year in a major way, as the chart below shows.
Economic readings in recent days for May clearly show that activity levels improved markedly from the April levels, with the bottom somewhere in April. The hope is that this steady improving trend will continue in the coming months as well, even though the underlying healthcare issue is still very much with us.
In the best-case scenario, the bulk of the economic impact is confined to Q2, with growth trend stabilizing in Q3 and accelerating toward the end of the year. Driving this view is the expectation is that not only has the outbreak peaked already, but we are now likely better ‘trained’ to navigate it.
We will see if these expectations pan out.
Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation
Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, it’s expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.
A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks’ just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.
See 8 breakthrough stocks now>>