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Toast and Clean Harbors have been highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL –November 15, 2024 – Zacks Equity Research shares Toast (TOST - Free Report) , as the Bull of the Day and Clean Harbors (CLH - Free Report) , as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on ServiceNow (NOW - Free Report) , Microsoft (MSFT) and NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) .

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

Toast is a Zack Rank #1 (Strong Buy) that offers a cloud-based point-of-sale system for restaurants. The company provides tools for order management, payments, online ordering, and customer engagement, all aimed at streamlining restaurant operations.

The stock has soared to multi-year highs this month following an earnings report that exceeded expectations. Now up over 100% for 2024, investor interest remains strong as many continue to bet on the stock’s ongoing upward momentum.

About the Company

Toast, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is valued at approximately $22 billion and employs around 5,500 people.

With its point-of-sale (POS) system as the core, Toast simplifies day-to-day operations for restaurants, enabling seamless transaction processing, order tracking, and kitchen communication.

Its platform also includes features for managing employee payroll, tips, and scheduling, as well as robust reporting and analytics tools to help restaurants drive data-driven decisions.

Toast has expanded to include online ordering, delivery integrations, and marketing solutions, helping restaurants optimize their operations and grow revenue in a competitive market.

The stock has a Zacks Style Score of “A” in Growth and Momentum. However, the stock has a “F” in Value.

Q3 Earnings Beat

On November 7th, the company reported a 600% EPS beat and raised its FY guidance.

Q3 EPS came in at $0.07 v the $0.01 expected, while revenues were $1.31B v the $1.29B expected.

The company raised FY24 adjusted EBIOTDA to $352M up from $285-$305M. Non-GAAP subscription services and financial technology solutions gross profit $1.40-1.41B (+32-33% y/y), which was up from the 1.36B (+27-29% y/y) prior.

Gross Payment Volume was up 24% y/y, while annual Recurring Revenue was up 28% y/y. Total locations were +28% y/y, up to 127k.

Management comments were overwhelmingly bullish:

“Toast delivered a strong third quarter, adding approximately 7,000 net new locations, growing our recurring gross profit streams 35%, and achieving Adjusted EBITDA of $113 million. We are well positioned to finish out the year strong and carry this momentum into 2025.”

Estimates Headed Higher

Analysts are bullish as well, lifting estimates and price targets since the earnings report.

For the current quarter, earnings estimates doubled, going from $0.01 to $0.02.

For the current year, estimates also improved, going from a loss of $0.10 to a loss of only $0.07.

For the next year, the bottom line moves into the black. Analysts now see $0.33, which is up 18% from the $0.28 expected before earnings.

Toast, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Toast, Inc. Quote

With the big beat and guide higher, analysts are lifting their price targets.

JPMorgan maintained a Neutral rating on Toast and raised its price target from $28 to $36. Morgan Stanley reiterated an Overweight rating, increasing its target from $33 to $45. Meanwhile, Wedbush kept an Outperform rating, adjusting the price target from $35 to $45.

The Technical Take

The stock is on the verge of a clear breakout, hitting levels not seen since 2021. The company IPO’d that year, trading all the way up to $69. However, it was straight down from there, with TOST making a low under $12 back in 2022.

After trading sideways for the last couple years, the stock has broken the technical resistance between $27-30 and surged higher.

With the stock at $40, investors might be hesitant to chase, so let us look at some levels to buy on a pullback.

Post earnings low: $36

Gap fill: $33

21-day: $32

50-day: $29.20

200-day: $25.20

Fibonacci buy zone (50%-61.8% retracements): $29.70-$32

While that 200-day might be out of reach, investors could start to build positions at those higher levels.

In Summary

Toast is emerging as a leader in the restaurant technology space, capitalizing on its impressive growth trajectory and strong market momentum.

The company's recent earnings beat, upwardly revised guidance, and expanding footprint reflect its ability to deliver value across restaurant operations, from order management to financial analytics.

As Toast looks to carry its growth into 2025, it remains a stock to watch for those betting on the future of digital transformation in the restaurant industry.

Bear of the Day:

Clean Harbors  is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) that is an environmental services company providing waste management, pollution control, and energy services across North America. It specializes in hazardous waste disposal, emergency spill response, and industrial cleaning for industries like manufacturing, chemicals, and oil & gas.

The company reported earnings late last month that caused the stock to fall 17%, only to fully recover a week later. But were the buy-the-dippers too quick to jump in?

With an earnings miss and reduced guidance, analysts are revising their earnings estimates downward. This rally may present an ideal opportunity to exit the stock before potential declines set in.

About the Company

Clean Harbors was founded in 1980 and is based in Norwell, MA. The company employs over 21,000 people and operates through two segments: Environmental Services (83% of revenues) and Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions (17% of revenues).

The company serves clients such as Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Clean Harbors offers end-to-end hazardous waste management, emergency response, industrial cleaning, and recycling services. Additionally, it is the world’s largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil and a leading provider of parts washers and environmental services for the commercial, industrial, and automotive sectors.

CLH isvalued at $14 billion and has a Forward PE of 35. The stock holds Zacks Style Scores of “D” in Value, But “B” in both Momentum and Growth.

Q3 Earnings

The company reported earnings at the end of October, missing by 1.4%. EPS came in at $2.12 versus the $2.15 consensus, but revenue exceeded projections at $1.53 billion.

Despite year-over-year growth in Adjusted EBITDA (+19%) and free cash flow (+26%), the company lowered its FY24 guidance, citing pressures in its Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions (SKSS) segment, including weak base oil demand and pricing challenges.

Positive momentum remains in Environmental Services, where Field Services grew 68%, partly due to the HEPACO acquisition. Clean Harbors expects further growth opportunities in 2025 from new initiatives, like the upcoming incinerator in Nebraska, despite current market headwinds.

While there is some optimism, analysts have been quick to drop earnings estimates.

Earnings Estimates

Estimates have seen significant cuts across all time frames since the earnings report.

For the current quarter, forecasts have dropped 19% over the past 30 days, from $1.76 to $1.42.

Looking to next quarter, estimates have declined 10% in that same period, down from $1.53 to $1.38.

For the full year, projections have been adjusted downward by 5%, now at $7.29 from $7.65. Next year’s outlook follows this downward trend, with estimates reduced by 4.5%, from $8.57 to $8.18.

Technical Take

The drop after earnings was a very sharp move that might have caught some off-guard. However, the stock bounced right back, almost making new highs on the year.

This volatility is not common for a stock that has seen a slow and steady rise all year. With the stock up 45% on the year, investors may want to use this rally to take profits.

The drop almost tested the 200-day Moving average at $220, but if we start seeing a long-term trend lower, that could come into play again. For now, the stock is above the 50-day MA at $249, but investors should get cautious if this level breaks.

The stock has been a fantastic performer since the COVID crash, but the earnings down move could be a red flag.

In Summary

Clean Harbors has shown resilience and strong growth over recent years, but the recent earnings miss and reduced guidance have introduced new uncertainties.

With significant downward revisions in earnings estimates, the company may face challenges ahead, particularly within its Safety-Kleen segment. The swift bounce-back in stock price following the post-earnings drop could present a prime opportunity for investors to exit on strength, especially as technical indicators suggest caution if the stock fails to hold above key moving averages.

Additional content:

ServiceNow Expands Generative AI Offerings: Is the Stock a Buy?

ServiceNow is adding Generative AI (GenAI) and governance innovations to the Now platform to foster responsible AI. NOW is adding more than 150 GenAI innovations to its portfolio, including new, expanded Now Assist capabilities with an AI Governance feature for secure and compliant AI practices.

NOW’s expanding GenAI portfolio and rich partner base have been driving top-line growth. A strong partner base, which includes the likes of Microsoft , NVIDIA and many more, is strengthening ServiceNow’s AI capabilities.

NOW and Five9 recently signed an expanded partnership to deliver a turnkey AI-powered solution for unified end-to-end employee and customer experiences by combining ServiceNow Customer Service Management and the Five9 platform.

NOW’s prospects remain bright, with shares appreciating 48% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Computer & Technology sector and the Zacks Computers – IT Services industry’s returns of 30% and 15.8%, respectively.

ServiceNow shares are trading above the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating a bullish trend.

Let us dig deeper to find out the factors driving NOW’s prospects.

ServiceNow Raises Subscription Revenue Guidance

For 2024, NOW expects subscription revenues of $10.655-$10.66 billion (up from previous guidance of $10.575-$10.585 billion), which suggests a rise of 23% from the 2023 actuals on a GAAP basis and 22.5% on a non-GAAP basis.

ServiceNow expects the non-GAAP subscription gross margin to be 84.5% and the non-GAAP operating margin to be 29.5%. The free cash flow margin is expected to be 31%.

For fourth-quarter 2024, subscription revenues are projected between $2.875 billion and $2.88 billion, suggesting a year-over-year improvement of 21.5-22% on a GAAP basis. At cc, subscription revenues are expected to grow at 20.5%.

Current Remaining Performance Obligation is expected to grow 21.5% year over year on both non-GAAP and GAAP basis.

ServiceNow expects a non-GAAP operating margin of 29% for the current quarter.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 earnings is pegged at $13.87 per share, up 0.4% over the past 30 days, indicating a 28.66% year-over-year increase.

ServiceNow, Inc. price-consensus-chart | ServiceNow, Inc. Quote

The consensus mark for 2024 revenues is pegged at $10.97 billion, suggesting growth of 22.33% over the 2023 reported figure.

Strong Portfolio Aids NOW’s Prospects

ServiceNow is extensively leveraging AI and machine learning technologies to boost the potency of its solutions. NOW’s expanding GenAI capabilities are noteworthy, as its total addressable market is expected to hit $275 billion in 2026.

ServiceNow’s latest update, Xanadu, offers AI-powered, purpose-built industry solutions for domains, including telecom, media, and technology, financial services and the public sector.

The Xanadu update adds the latest AI capabilities to boost customer agility, enhance productivity and improve employee experiences. It expands the GenAI portfolio to enterprise functions, including Security, and Sourcing & Procurement Operations.

NOW plans to integrate Agentic AI into the ServiceNow platform and unlock 24/7 productivity at a massive scale. This service will be available this November for Customer Service Management AI Agents and IT Service Management AI Agents. It is expected to reduce the time to resolve an issue and make live agents more productive.

Strong Liquidity Makes NOW Stock Attractive

A strong liquidity position, with a cash balance of $5.295 billion as of Sept. 30, 2024, is noteworthy. ServiceNow generated a free cash flow of $471 million in the third quarter of 2024.

NOW expects the free cash flow margin to be 31% for 2024.

The strong liquidity position allows ServiceNow to pursue various growth opportunities, including acquisitions and share repurchases.

In third-quarter 2024, NOW repurchased roughly 272,000 shares for $225 million and had $562 million available for future share repurchases under the existing program.

NOW’s Strong Prospects Justify Premium Valuation

However, the NOW stock is not so cheap, as the Value Score of F suggests a stretched valuation at this moment.

In terms of the forward 12-month Price/Sales ratio, NOW is trading at 16.7X, higher than its median of 13.72X and the sector’s 6.37X.

We believe that the strong growth prospect justifies ServiceNow’s premium valuation.

Conclusion

ServiceNow’s robust GenAI portfolio and strong partner base are expected to drive its clientele, boosting subscription revenues. The Growth Score of B makes the stock attractive for growth-oriented investors.

ServiceNow currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which implies that investors should start accumulating the stock right now. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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