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This Week's Amazing Earnings Charts

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Earnings season kicks it up a notch this week with over 300 companies reporting, including a bunch of Dow Industrial and S&P 500 large caps.

It’s not easy beating the earnings estimate every quarter, or nearly every quarter, for several years. Many investors underestimate the management skills it takes to consistently beat.

Yet these companies have beaten, or missed only once, every quarter for 5 years. That’s impressive.

With the pressure mounting on them to keep their great earnings surprise records, will they be able to comply again this quarter?

This Week’s Amazing Earnings Charts

1.    Illinois Tool Works (ITW - Free Report) hasn’t missed since 2014 yet it still doesn’t get any respect from investors. Shares have nearly doubled over the last 2 years though. Will it beat again?

2.    Abbott Labs (ABT - Free Report) hasn’t missed since early 2007. Now THAT’S impressive. It continued to beat on earnings even during the chaos of the Great Recession. Shares have broken out to new 5-year highs. Can it keep the momentum?

3.    United Rentals (URI - Free Report) has missed only once in 5 years and that was in 2016 when crude prices were plunging. The largest equipment rental company in North America has some oil and gas business but that market has improved. Shares are soaring on hopes that the US economy continues to generate momentum.

4.    Honeywell (HON - Free Report) is getting the last laugh as it was kicked out of the Dow Industrials years ago but look at it now. It’s only missed once in 5 years and shares are at new 5-year highs.

5.    Starbucks (SBUX - Free Report) has only missed once in the last 5 years but shares have been stuck in a narrow trading range for more than 2 years. Will 2018 finally be the year that it joins in the rally?

[In full disclosure, the author of this article owns shares of URI and SBUX in her personal portfolio.]

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