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Electronic Stock Q4 Earnings Due on Feb 7: FTV, AME & More

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The fourth-quarter earnings season has picked up pace, with results from 275 S&P 500 members or 55% of the index’s total market capitalization already out (as of Feb 3).

Per the latest Earnings Preview, total earnings of these index members are up 6.9% year over year on the back of 4.2% higher revenues. Beat ratios are impressive with 68.0% beating earnings estimates and 54.5% coming ahead of revenue expectations.

Investors seem to be rejoicing as the fourth quarter is on track to take the index to an all-time, surpassing the previous record achieved in the fourth quarter of 2014. At present, sectors including finance, technology, construction and basic materials look promising and are delivering improved growth. Also, positive surprises for all of these sectors are tracking above the index level.

As far as the technology sector is concerned, we have fourth-quarter results from 84% of the sector’s total market cap. Total earnings for these companies are up 7.4% year over year on 5.4% higher revenues. Beat ratios are impressive with 71.1% surpassing earnings estimates and 78.9% coming ahead of revenue expectations.

Among the technology firms slated to report their quarterly earnings on Feb 7, let’s see what’s ahead for these four electronic stocks:

Fortive Corporation (FTV - Free Report) , an industrial growth company, is slated to release fourth-quarter 2016 results.

According to our model, a company needs the right combination of the two key ingredients – a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or at least 3 (Hold) – to increase its odds of an earnings surprise.

Consequently, we expect Fortiveto post an earnings beat since it carries a Zacks Rank #3 and has an Earnings ESP of +1.49%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Notably, Fortive Corporation's results surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the preceding two quarters. It has an average earnings positive surprise of 8.42%.

Coming to the share price, Fortive Corporationunderperformed the Zacks categorized Electronics Test Equipment industry over the last one year. While the industry gained 49.02%, the stock gave a positive return of only 15.62%.

Fortive Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

 

Fortive Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Fortive Corporation Quote

We don’t expect Ametek Inc. (AME - Free Report) , a leading manufacturer of electronic appliances and electromechanical devices, to post an earnings beat when it reports fourth-quarter 2016 results.

This is because the company has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.

However, Ametek’s top line is expected to benefit from solid growth across its Ultra Precision Technologies business. Also, a strong portfolio of differentiated business lines is expected to help the company post better results. (Read More: Ametek Q4 Earnings: What's in the Cards this Time?)

We note that Ametek’s results compared favorably with the Zacks Consensus Estimate last quarter, with an average beat of 0.46%.

Over the past one year, shares of Ametek underperformed the Zacks categorized Electronics Test Equipment industry. While the industry grew 49.02%, the stock returned 15.06%.

AMTEK, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

 

AMTEK, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | AMTEK, Inc. Quote

Similarly, we don’t expect Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (JKHY - Free Report) , a leading provider of integrated technology solutions and data processing services for financial institutions, to outperform estimates when it reports fourth-quarter 2016 results. The company has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%.

However, Jack Henry & Associates’ results compared favorably with the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 14.71%.

Over the past one year, shares of Jack Henry & Associates underperformed the Zacks categorized Electronic Miscellaneous Services industry. While the industry gained 19.05%, the stock added 17.80%.

We also don’t expect Arrow Electronics Inc. (ARW - Free Report) , one of the world’s largest distributors of electronic components and enterprise computing products, to beat on earnings when it reports fourth-quarter 2016 results. This is because the company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

However, Arrow Electronics’ top line is expected to benefit from the deal with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. inked in the third quarter. As per the agreement, Arrow Electronics brought the SAMSUNG ARTIK Smart IoT platform to its global ecosystem of customers and suppliers. (Read More: Arrow Electronics to Report Q4 Earnings: What's Up?)

Notably, Arrow Electronics’results compared favorably with the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last three quarters, with an average positive surprise of 2.86%.

Coming to the share price, Arrow Electronicsunderperformed the Zacks categorized Electronics Parts Distribution industry over the last one year. While the industry gained 42.58%, the stock declined 36.79%.

Arrow Electronics, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

 

Arrow Electronics, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Arrow Electronics, Inc. Quote

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