By SA Stocks To Watch :
Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Stocks to Watch - a preview of key events scheduled for the next week. Follow this account and turn the e-mail alert on to receive this article in your inbox every Saturday morning.
Investors head into next week with a bit of improved visibility after tariff exemptions were spelled out by President Trump and a sizzling jobs report that included wage growth below expectations (+2.6% vs. +2.9% consensus) was turned in by the Labor Department. While there is little doubt that on-again, off-again tariff drama will influence trading in several sectors next week and beyond, the focus is slowly shifting back to earnings growth and valuations as individual stocks are sized up. As far as economic blockbusters, the retail sales report on March 14 will be watched closely to see if consumers are waking up from their slumber.
Notable earnings reports: Clarion Technologies ( CLAR ) and Resolute Energy ( REN ) on Mar. 12; Dick's Sporting Goods ( DKS ), HD Supply ( HDS ), Caleres ( CAL ) and Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA) on Mar. 13; 3D Systems (DDD), Ctrip.com (CTRP) and Williams-Sonoma (WSM) on March 14; Adobe Systems (ADBE), Broadcom (AVGO), Ulta Salon (ULTA) and Dollar General (DG) on Mar. 15; Tiffany (TIF) on March 16. See Seeking Alpha's Earnings Calendar for the complete list.
IPOs expected to price: Arcus Biosciences (RCUS) on Mar. 15; Zscaler (ZS) on Mar. 16.
Analyst quiet period expirations: Biofrontera (BFRA) and Motus GI (MOTS) on Mar. 12.
JPMorgan Aviation, Transportation and Industrials Conference 2018: Tariffs, trade and tax reform could be on the plate of presenting management at the gathering scheduled for March 14-15. Updates are expected from Kratos (KTOS), Watsco (WSO), Aeromexico (GRPAF), CSX (CSX), Norfolk Southern (NSC), Honeywell (HON), Johnson Controls (JCI), Ryder (R), Delta Air Lines (DAL), United Continental (UAL), JetBlue (JBLU), American Airlines Group (AAL) and others. Ahead of the meeting, analysts with JPMorgan have lifted estimates on airline names on the expectation for good news.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch Consumer and Retail Technology Conference 2018: Lots of interesting execs are due to present at the event on March 13-14, including Walmart (WMT) U.S. chief Greg Foran. Also listen for updates from Kroger (KR), Potbelly (PBPB), Urban Outfitters (URBN), Yum Brands (YUM), Nutrisystem (NTR), Estee Lauder (EL), Booking Holdings (BKNG), Carter's (CRI) and Expedia (EXPE).
Patent watch: The Patent Trial and Appeal Board is expected to make a decision on Pfizer's (PFE) challenge of Roche's (RHHBY) patents on its Avastin cancer treatment.
Disney vs. Netflix: Look for some Wall Street analysis on Disney after the company reiterated an aggressive course for its streaming launch during its annual meeting presentation. GBH Insights' Daniel Ives is already pointing to the "2019 Battle Royale" that is setting up with Netflix's (NFLX) explosive growth set to run up against the "all-in" approach by Disney to streaming. As for the near term, Disney is expected to have the top two movies at the box office this weekend with Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time - while Netflix is riding a wave of positive news, including the casual aside from CEO Reed Hastings that revenue is expected to grow to $15B this year.
Auto watch: The White House has preliminary plans to hold a meeting on Monday on U.S. renewable fuel standards. The development is significant for the electric vehicle goals of Uber (UBER), Tesla (TSLA), General Motors (GM), Ford (F), Nissan (NSANY) and the rest of the industry.
Analyst/investor day meetings: Equifax (EFX) on Mar. 12-13, as well as Nutanix (NTNX) and and Public Service (PEG) on Mar. 12; Infinera (INFN), CNX Resources (CNX) and CornerStone OnDemand (CNST) on Mar. 13; US Foods (USFD) on Mar. 15.
Japan gaming: There is a political battle brewing in Japan on whether the government should approve five integrated casino resorts in the nation as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants or three as called for by the Liberal Democratic Party. Discussions on casino legislation are expected to start next week with a target of seeing a bill agreed upon by the end of the month. The list of companies hoping to benefit from Japanese gaming down the road includes MGM Resorts (MGM), Wynn Resorts (WYNN), MGM Resorts (MGM), Sega Sammy Holdings (SGAMY), Genting Singapore (GIGNY), Galaxy Entertainment (GXYEF), SJM Holdings (SJMHY), Caesars Entertainment (CZR), Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO).
Guidance call: Ally Financial (ALLY) on Mar. 15.
Annual meetings Hovnanian (HOV) and Toll Brothers (TOL) on Mar. 13.
Credit card charge-off and delinquency reports: American Express (AXP), Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Capital One Financial (COF), Discover Financial (DFS), JPMorgan (JPM) and Synchrony Financial (SYF) on Mar. 15.
Sales updates: E*Trade (ETFC), Progressive (PGR) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) on Mar. 14.
M&A votes: CVS Health (CVS) shareholders vote on the $67.5B Aetna (AET) deal.
Barron's mentions: Consumer staples stocks Campbell Soup (CPB), Altria (MO) and Molson Coors (TAP) are analyzed by the publication for upside after falling out of favor. Coca-Cola European Partners (CCE) is called out as a stock that could run up a 20% gain if the bottler pulls the right levers. The cover story delves into the shrinking labor pool in the U.S. as baby bommers retire. "It's going to affect GDP growth, if it's not fixed," warns Dunkin' Brands (DNKN) CEO Nigel Travis on the development. There's some number crunching on the impact of tariffs on Caterpillar (CAT), Oshkosh (OSK), Navistar (NAV) and Terex (TEX).
Sources: EDGAR, Bloomberg, CNBC, Estimize.com and Nasdaq.com.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
