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What's in Store for Dow ETF Going Into Q2 Earnings

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Despite the second wave of coronavirus infection, the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index is performing well to start the third quarter. Will this strength continue heading into a weak earnings season?

The second-quarter earnings season is expected to be the worst since the financial crisis. The coronavirus outbreak will likely take a stronger beating on earnings. Per the Earnings Trends, earnings growth is expected to be negative for 15 of the 16 Zacks sectors with double-digit declines. The four sectors that are expected to lose money in Q2 (year-over-year declines of 100% or more) are autos (226.1% earnings decline), transportation (151.2%), energy (139.4%), and consumer discretionary (109.1%) (read: Q2 Earnings Likely To Plunge: Invest in These Sector ETFs).

As such, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA - Free Report) , which tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index, is in the spotlight.

DIA in Focus

This is one of the largest and most-popular ETFs in the large-cap space with AUM of $21.6 billion and average daily volume of 6 million shares. Holding 30 blue chip stocks, the fund is widely spread across components with each holding less than 10.3% share. Information technology (27%), healthcare (14.5%), consumer discretionary (14.1%), industrials (13.6%) and financials (13%) are the top five sectors. DIA charges 16 bps in annual fees and has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a Medium risk (read: Dow Jones ETFs to Soar Further After Best Quarter Since 1987?).   

Nearly one-fourth of the blue chip firms are expected to announce results this week and in the next. JPMorgan Chase (JPM - Free Report) is expected to release earnings on Jul 14 while International Business Machines (IBM - Free Report) , UnitedHealth Group (UNH - Free Report) and Goldman (GS - Free Report) are scheduled to report on Jul 15. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) is slated to release quarterly results on Jul 16. Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) will report on Jul 22 while Intel (INTC - Free Report) on Jul 23. American Express (AXP - Free Report) is scheduled to report on Jul 24.

Let’s delve deeper into the first-quarter earnings picture that will likely aid the fund in the coming days.

Earnings Whispers

According to our methodology, the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

JPMorgan has a Zacks Rank #3 and Earnings ESP of +15.08%, indicating a reasonable chance of beating estimates this quarter. The company saw negative earnings estimate revision of 14 cents over the past 7 days for the to-be-reported quarter. Analysts decreasing estimates right before earnings — with the most up-to-date information possible — is not a good indicator for the stock. It delivered average negative surprise of 7.48% in the last four quarters. The stock has an unimpressive VGM Score of F (read: Bank ETFs in Focus on Stress Test Results, Easing Regulation).

International Business Machines has a Zacks Rank #4 and an Earnings ESP of +3.93%. It saw no earnings estimate revision activity in the past 30 days for the to-be-reported quarter and came up with a beat in each of the last four quarters, the average being 2.23%. IBM has a VGM Score of B.

UnitedHealth Group has a Zacks Rank #2 and an Earnings ESP of +7.69%. The stock saw positive earnings estimate revision of 22 cents over the past 30 days for the soon-to-be-reported quarter and delivered average negative surprise of 3.29% over the last four quarters.  It has a VGM Score of B.

Goldman is a Zacks #3 Ranked player and has an Earnings ESP of +8.79%. The company witnessed positive earnings estimate revision of 7 cents over the past 7 days for the yet-to-be-reported quarter. Its earnings surprise track over the preceding four quarters has been robust, the average beat being 4.54%. The stock has a VGM Score of F.

Johnson & Johnson has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of +2.64%, indicating higher probability of beating estimates this quarter. The stock delivered average trailing four-quarter positive surprise of 6.75% and witnessed negative earnings estimate revision of a penny over the past 30 days for the to-be-reported quarter. The stock has a favorable VGM Score of B.

Microsoft Corporation has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of -4.30%. The stock saw no earnings estimate revision over the past 30 days for the soon-to-be-reported quarter and delivered average negative surprise of 12.06% over the last four quarters. It has a VGM Score of B (read: 5 Best-Performing Stocks in Ultra-Popular Tech ETF (XLK)).

Intel has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. The stock witnessed no earnings estimate revision activity over the past 30 days for the to-be-reported quarter but delivered average trailing four-quarter positive surprise of 17.37%. It has a top VGM Score of A.

American Express has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of -98.12%. It saw negative earnings estimate revision of a penny over the past 7 days for the to-be-reported quarter. The company has an average positive surprise of 5.03% in the trailing four quarters. The stock has a VGM Score of C.

Bottom Line

With most blue-chip companies’ earnings scheduled over the coming days, investors should closely monitor the movement of the Dow ETF and grab an opportunity that arises from a surge in any of the 30 stocks.

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