For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 5, 2020 – Zacks Director of Research Sheraz Mian says, “

Favorable Earnings Picture Continues for Q3 and Beyond

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:

• The third quarter results reconfirm the steadily improving earnings outlook that we have been highlighting since early July. We are seeing an above average proportion of companies beating Q3 estimates and expectations for the current period (2020 Q4) going up.
• The market has been less than enthusiastic about positive Q3 earnings results, as it appears preoccupied with handicapping the impact of ongoing surge in infections on the economy and corporate earnings.
• For the 364 S&P 500 members that have reported Q3 results already, total earnings are down -7.8% from the same period last year on -2.6% lower revenues, with 86.3% beating EPS estimates and 77.7% beating revenue estimates.
• This is a notably better performance than what we saw from the same group of 364 companies in the first half of the year, with the EPS and revenue beats percentages tracking significantly higher than other comparable periods.
• Technology sector results have been notably strong, with total Q3 earnings for the 82.4% of the sector’s market capitalization in the index that have reported +10.3% from the same period last year on +6.0% higher revenues, with 95.7% beating EPS estimates and 91.5% beating revenue estimates.
• For the Finance sector, we now have Q3 results from 78.4% of the sector’s market capitalization in the S&P 500 index. Total earnings for these Finance companies are down -8.1% on +0.7% higher revenues, with 73.4% beating EPS estimates and 77.2% beating revenue estimates.
• Looking at the quarter as a whole, total S&P 500 earnings are expected to decline -10.3% on -1.5% lower revenues. The growth picture has been steadily improving since early July, but the pace of improvement has started accelerating as companies have come out with better-than-expected results.
• Sectors with the weakest Q3 growth outlook remain the social-distancing exposed spaces like Transportation (-116.8% earnings decline), Energy (-101.4%), and Consumer Discretionary (-77.1%).
• Out of the total 16 Zacks sectors, 9 sectors are expected to experience earnings declines in Q3, with Construction, Medical, Technology, Autos, Retail, Consumer Staples, and Utilities all expected to show earnings growth.
• For the current period (2020 Q4), total S&P 500 earnings are expected to be down -11.6% on -0.1% lower revenues. Estimates for the quarter are steadily going up, a trend that we saw in Q3 as well.
• Looking at the calendar-year picture for the S&P 500 index, earnings are expected to decline -18% on -4.3% lower revenues in 2020 and increase +22.1% on +7.6% higher revenues in 2021. Estimates for both years have been going up since early July, with full-year 2021 estimates only now going past the 2019 level.
• The implied ‘EPS’ for the S&P 500 index, calculated using current 2020 P/E of 25.7X and index close, as of November 3rd, is $131.33, down from $160.09 in 2019. Using the same methodology, the index ‘EPS’ works out to $160.39 for 2021 (P/E of 21.0X). The multiples for 2020 and 2021 have been calculated using the index’s total market cap and aggregate bottom-up earnings for each year.
• For the small-cap S&P 600 index, we now have Q3 results from 358 index members or 59.6% of the index’s total membership. Total earnings for these companies are down -7.3% on -6.5% lower revenues, with 85.2% beating EPS estimates and 72.9% beating revenue estimates.
• Looking at Q3 as a whole for the small-cap index, total earnings are expected to be down -17.1% from the same period last year on -5.8% lower revenues, which would follow a -65.3% decline on -17.8% lower revenues in 2020 Q2.
• For full-year 2020, the S&P 600 index is expected to experience a -35.6% decline in earnings on -7.6% lower revenues, with easy comps pushing earnings growth to +38.6% in 2021.

The earnings outlook has been steadily improving since early July, as the U.S. economy started coming out of the pandemic-driven slump. While pockets of entrenched weakness remain, the pace and magnitude of the recovery has largely been better than expected.

This improving trend has been showing up in positive estimate revisions, with analysts steadily raising their estimates. We saw this earlier with Q3 estimates and we are seeing the same trend in play for Q4 estimates as well.

It is reasonable to expect this trend of improving earnings estimates to continue as we go through the rest of the Q3 reporting cycle. The worry is that the improving trend will level off or even reverse in the face of surging infection rates that weighs down the economy’s recovery. We are starting to see this unfavorable trend play out in Europe at present and the worry is that the U.S. economy may be a few weeks behind Europe.

These Covid worries and associated macro uncertainties appear to be making market participants discount better than expected Q3 results, with an above average proportion of companies beating EPS and revenue estimates. That said, companies missing estimates or providing weak guidance are getting the appropriate level of punishment, as we saw with Netflix (NFLX Quick QuoteNFLX - Free Report) , Intel (INTC Quick QuoteINTC - Free Report) , J.B. Hunt (JBHT Quick QuoteJBHT - Free Report) and others.

Looking at Q3 as a whole, combining the results that have come out with estimates for the still-to-come companies, total S&P 500 earnings are expected to decline -10.3% from the year-earlier level on -1.5% lower revenues.

Looking at the outlook on an annual basis, index earnings are expected to decline -18.0% this year, after staying essentially flat last year. Growth is expected to resume next year, with easy comparisons driving most of the growth.

The recent flow of economic readings has been broadly positive, suggesting that the hoped-for recovery is firmly in place. Consensus estimates suggest a very strong GDP rebound in Q3, which would follow the -31.7% decline in Q2. Estimates for Q4 have a wide range, reflecting uncertainty about the pandemic and relief spending.

The hope is that the recovery in the economy, as well as the earnings outlook doesn’t lose pace in the face of rising infections and delayed fiscal relief.

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