Software company Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) is set to report fourth-quarter financial results after the market close on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

Here is a look at the earnings estimates and key items to watch.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Oracle to report fourth-quarter revenue of $14.59 billion according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The revenue estimate represents an increase over last year’s fourth-quarter total of $13.84 billion.

Oracle has missed analysts’ revenue estimates in three straight quarters and missed estimates in five of the last 10 quarters.

Analysts estimate Oracle will report fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.65 compared to $1.67 in last year’s fourth quarter. The company has beaten analysts’ earnings per share estimates in six straight quarters and eight of the past 10 quarters.

What Analysts Are Saying: Momentum around large and long-term deals could help Oracle continue momentum in the fourth quarter, Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss said.

The analyst, who has an Equal-weight rating and $155 price target, said forward estimates for Oracle have been largely unchanged year-to-date.

Weiss said investors have hope Oracle can capitalize on the scarcity of AI hardware in the current cycle.

The analyst sees a positive near-term outlook for Oracle and said the shares could be rewarded. The analyst calls the valuation of 22x CY24 P/E as “reasonable.”

Multiple analysts raised their price targets on Oracle in March after the third-quarter financial results.

Related Link: Oracle’s Options Frenzy: What You Need to Know

Key Items to Watch: The momentum of Oracle’s cloud infrastructure business remains a key item to watch in the fourth-quarter earnings results. Overall cloud revenue was up 25% year-over-year in the third quarter with cloud infrastructure revenue up 49% year-over-year.

“We expect to continue receiving large contracts reserving cloud infrastructure capacity because the demand for our Gen2 AI infrastructure substantially exceeds supply — despite the fact we are opening new and expanding existing cloud datacenters very, very rapidly,” Oracle CEO Safra Catz said after third quarter financial results.

Another item to watch will be any update or official announcement of a reported collaboration between Oracle and xAI, the AI startup from Elon Musk.

A report from The Information previously said xAI was finalizing a $10 billion contract with Oracle for cloud services.

Oracle also announced plans to open two Oracle Cloud Regions in Morocco to expand its enterprise cloud services across Africa.

The growth of international revenue and any government contracts for AI business could be in the spotlight during fourth-quarter results.

Oracle was a popular stock pick of institutional investors in the first quarter. The fourth-quarter results could show if Oracle being a top 10 holding of several institutions in the first quarter was a wise move going forward.

ORCL Price Action: Oracle shares trade at $124.28 on Monday at publication versus a 52-week trading range of $99.26 to $132.77. Oracle stock is up 20% over the last year.

Read Next: Oracle Stock Climbs On Reports Of Deal With Musk’s xAI: Is There More Upside Ahead?

Photo: Michael Vi/Shutterstock

Beauty retailer Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) will report first-quarter financial results after market close Thursday, May 30, 2024.

Here are the earnings estimates, what analysts are saying and key items to watch.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Ulta to report first-quarter revenue of $2.72 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company reported revenue of $3.23 billion in last year’s first quarter. Ulta has beaten analysts’ revenue estimates in 10 straight quarters.

Analysts expect the company to report first-quarter earnings per share of $6.23 compared to $6.88 in last year’s first quarter. The company has beaten analysts’ earnings per share estimates in 10 straight quarters.

The company is guiding for fiscal 2024 revenue to be in a range of $11.7 billion to $11.8 billion and earnings per share to be in a range of $26.20 to $27.00.

“While we are mindful the near-term macro environment remains dynamic, we are optimistic about the resiliency of the beauty category, energized by the growth opportunities ahead of us, and confident in our ability to deliver for our guests and our shareholders,” Ulta CEO David Kimbell said after Q4 results.

What Analysts Are Saying: Nielsen data could point to a flat quarter for Ulta Beauty, JPMorgan analyst Christopher Horvers said in a recent note.

The data showed total beauty products in the food, drug and mass channels were up 1.2% for the four weeks ending May 18 and up 1.7% for the four weeks prior to that.

“That said, Ulta’s same-store sales have a 63% correlation with NielsenIQ cosmetics trends and nearly 50% with beauty,” Horvers said.

The analyst has a Buy rating on Ulta and lowered the price target from $600 to $530.

“Looking at the full period, the data continue to imply a flattish comp for 1Q24, consistent with expectations that we previewed with moderation since the company commentary at our conference in early April.”

The analyst said the one-year and five-year trends are largely accelerated, led by the fragrance category.

Categories like cosmetics, facial skin care and hand/body/lotion all saw lower growth than in the previous month in the latest Nielsen data, with the fragrance category outperforming at +17.5% compared to +12.8% in the prior month.

Other analysts have been lowering their price targets on Ulta stock ahead of earnings. Here are recent analyst ratings on Ulta Beauty and their price targets.

• Canaccord Genuity: Buy rating, lowered price target from $575 to $522
• Baird: Outperform rating, lowered price target from $625 to $525
• Bank of America: Neutral rating, lowered price target from $575 to $425
• Citigroup: Neutral rating, lowered price target from $485 to $400
• Jefferies: Hold rating, lowered price target from $438 to $412
• Telsey: Outperform rating, lowered price target from $600 to $500
• Piper Sandler: Overweight rating, lowered price target from $595 to $505
• Goldman Sachs: Neutral rating, lowered price target from $605 to $476

Related Link: Ulta Beauty Faces Headwinds From Slowing Trends, Notes Analyst

Key Items to Watch: In April, Ulta presented at a JPMorgan conference and said that it wouldn’t be able to generate 15%+ margins on more moderated comp sales of 3% to 4%. The company also said its first-quarter same store sales would come in the lower end of low single-digit growth guidance.

A recent report on foot traffic from Placer.ai shows that Ulta is seeing strong year-over-year visit growth, which is outpacing other retailers in the Beauty and Wellness category.

The report said visits between January and April 2024 for Ulta were higher than the previous year and ahead of the sector.

Placer.ai showed Ulta visits up 3.1% in April, up 12.1% in March and up 9.0% in February on a year-over-year basis. The overall beauty and wellness segment had year-over-year growth of 0.5% in April, 8.2% in March and 6.7% in February, according to the report.

“Ulta continues to experience visit growth, highlighting Beauty’s enduring appeal,” the report said.

Investors and analysts will be closely watching the report to see if the strong foot traffic can help the company again beat revenue and earnings per share estimates.

ULTA Price Action: Ulta shares trade at $379.97 versus a 52-week trading range of $368.02 to $574.76. Ulta stock is down 7.9% over the last year and down 22.5% year-to-date in 2024.

Read Next: Ulta’s Strategic Moves And Market Share Poise Spark Optimism, Analysts Elevate Forecasts Post-Q4 Triumph

The average American couple has saved this much money for retirement — How do you compare?

Photo: Shutterstock

Home improvement retailers Lowe’s Companies Inc (NYSE:LOW) will report first-quarter financial results before the market open on Tuesday.

Here are the earnings estimates, what analysts are saying and key items to watch.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Lowe’s to report first-quarter revenue of $21.10 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The revenue estimate is lower than the $22.35 billion reported in last year’s first quarter by the home improvement retailer. Lowe’s has beat revenue estimates in five of the last 10 quarters, with five quarters coming in below analysts’ estimates.

Analysts expect Lowe’s to report first-quarter earnings per share of $2.93 compared to $3.67 reported in last year’s first quarter.

What Analysts Are Saying: While there could be many items analysts are watching in Lowe’s first quarter report, JPMorgan analyst Christopher Horvers calls out the upcoming spring season.

The analyst sees increasing demand for outdoor patio items, which could benefit Lowe’s. Horvers said Lowe’s has more exposure to seasonal categories compared to rival Home Depot (NYSE:HD).

“DIY is 75% of their business. A big chunk of that is driven off these seasonal categories,” Horvers said.

Here are other analyst ratings on Lowe’s and their price targets.

• Evercore ISI: In-Line rating, raised price target from $245 to $250
• Stifel: Hold rating, raised price target from $225 to $250
• Citigroup: Neutral rating, lowered price target from $243 to $240
• Gordon Haskett: Downgraded from Accumulate to Hold, $245 price target
• Truist: Buy rating, raised price target from $258 to $271

Related Link: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Q1 Shake-Up: Home Retailer Dumped, Hot Restaurant Stake Trimmed And A ‘Magnificent 7’ Holding Juggled

Key Items to Watch: One of the key items to watch could be foot traffic. A recent third-party report from Placer.ai showed visits to Lowe’s down 4% year-over-year in the first quarter. Home Depot recently reported visits were down 1.1% in the first quarter.

If this data is correct, it could point to worse results for traffic for Lowe’s versus its main peer company.

Home Depot reported first-quarter revenue of $36.42 billion, down 2.3% year-over-year. The revenue total missed an estimate of $36.67 billion from analysts. Home Depot’s first quarter earnings per share of $3.63 beat estimates from analysts of $3.59.

Another item to watch in Lowe’s report and prepared remarks could be a partnership with delivery company DoorDash (NASDAQ:DASH). In April, the retailer announced a partnership with DoorDash to provide delivery from over 1,700 stores in the U.S.

“Just in time for spring, consumers can shop for everything from gardening tools to spring cleaning essentials,” DoorDash VP of New Verticals Fuad Hannon said.

The partnership marked the first in the home improvement category for DoorDash.

Lowe’s previously guided for fiscal 2024 sales to be in a range of $84 billion to $85 billion. The company reported sales of $86.4 billion in last year’s full fiscal year. An update on guidance for the full year or for the second quarter is another item to watch.

LOW Price Action: Lowe’s shares trade at $230.50 versus a 52-week trading range of $181.85 to $262.49. The stock is up 11.3% over the last year and up 3.6% year-to-date in 2024.

Lowe’s stock is beating Home Depot on a year-to-date basis (-1.9%), but trails the home improvement retailer’s one-year return of 16.3%.

Both home improvement retailers trail the one year and year-to-date returns of the S&P 500 of 27.9% and 11.8%, respectively.

Read Next: Will Home Depot Continue To Weather Macro Challenges? ‘Continued Softness In Discretionary Projects,’ But ‘Compelling Recovery Opportunity,’ Say Analysts

Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.

One of the key figures in the GameStop Corporation (NYSE:GME) short squeeze of 2021 is set to appear on “Benzinga Live” Thursday, sharing an update on his previous bearish take on the video game retailer.

What Happened: Activist investor, short seller, and Citron Research founder Andrew Left previously appeared on “Benzinga Live” on Jan. 21, 2021 to share his bearish thesis on GameStop, which may have helped kickstart a rally in shares.

Left will be back on “Benzinga Live” on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET.

“After 30 years in the markets and countless interviews, it’s surreal to be questioned by the media to interpret memes from Roaring Kitty. This enigma is drawing more focus than even Buffett’s new confidential stock. In 2024, it appears we’re all just cogs in a wildly unpredictable system,” Left tweeted from the Citron Research account.

The appearance by Left comes as GameStop shares have soared on the week, led by the return of Roaring Kitty, aka Keith Gill, on social media platform X.

Roaring Kitty, who played a central role in the retail trade of GameStop in 2021, posted a meme on X on Sunday and has posted video clips from movies Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The rally appeared to lose steam Wednesday, with GameStop shares falling.

GMEdd.com co-proprietor Rod Alzmann will also appear on “Benzinga Live” Thursday. Alzmann previously covered GameStop in 2021 and was also interviewed by Benzinga during the 2021 short squeeze.

Related Link: Who Is Roaring Kitty? Why Does His Return To Social Media Matter For GameStop Stock?

Why It’s Important: GameStop was the target of a battle between retail traders against hedge funds and short sellers in 2021. Left was among the investors betting against GameStop due to fears of declines for the struggling retailer.

“You might have loved the setup on GME when it was $14, because of the high short interest,” Left said at the time. “There’s a high short interest for a reason, because pretty much their business is on a decline.”

As Left’s interview was taking place, thousands of people flooded the chat with bullish takes on GameStop and the shares began trading higher. The stock went on to continue rising over the next couple of days.

The aftermath of the 2021 GameStop short squeeze led to major losses for many short sellers and hedge funds. While Citron Research lost money on the trade, Left also credited GameStop as one of his best trades ever, given the timing of his exit.

“The best trade I’ve ever made in my whole life was getting out. How crazy is that?” Left said in July 2023.

Left exited his position in GameStop at around $92 per share. Citron Research estimates that if he stayed in his GameStop short for two more days, he would have been completely wiped out.

Left went on to say that Citron Research would no longer publish short reports and instead focus on companies that could be multibaggers.

The Citron Research founder, who has exposed troubled stocks for years, also said in 2023 he should be rewarded for exposing bad companies instead of being targeted by federal agencies.

“For three months, while you were at your kid’s baseball game, I was investigating a fraud. While you were watching Netflix with your wife, I was up all night working,” he said.

Left has since published several short reports targeting companies like Etsy, Luminar and the cryptocurrency market.

Watch Left’s Jan. 21, 2021 appearance on “Benzinga Live” here.

GME Price Action: GameStop shares are down 17% to $33.00 on Thursday, versus a 52-week trading range of $9.95 to $64.83.

Read Next: 5 Ways The GameStop, Meme Stocks Rally Could Fizzle: Stock Offerings, Boredom And More

Graphic by Benzinga

Home improvement retailer Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) reports first-quarter financial results before market open Tuesday May 14, 2024.

Here are the key earnings estimates, what analysts are saying and items to watch.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Home Depot to report first-quarter revenue of $36.68 billion according to estimates from Benzinga Pro.

The estimated revenue would represent a year-over-year decline from the $37.26 billion reported in last year’s first quarter. The company has beaten revenue estimates from analysts in eight of the past 10 quarters.

Analysts expect the company to report earnings per share of $3.60, down from $3.82 reported in last year’s first quarter. The company has beaten earnings per share in each of the past 10 quarters.

Guidance from the company calls for full-year revenue to be $154.2 billion, up around 1% year-over-year. Full-year earnings per share are also expected to rise around 1% year-over-year to $15.26.

What Analysts Are Saying: Home Depot could be “well positioned for share gains,” Bank of America analyst Robert Ohmes said in a new investor note.

The analyst, who has a Buy rating and $425 price target, said gross margin expansion in 2024 could help offset expense deleverage.

“While the macro remains choppy, and we expect continued pressure in 2024 on discretionary and big ticket, we expect HD to see continued share gains as it accelerates growth and capabilities with the complex pro, both organically and inorganically,” Ohmes said.

The analyst said Home Depot has stronger exposure to professional customers than rival Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW).  

Here are other recent analyst ratings on Home Depot and their respective price targets:

Wedbush: Outperform rating, $410 price target

Wells Fargo: Overweight rating, lowered price target from $425 to $400

Citigroup: Buy rating, lowered price target from $415 to $395

Telsey: Market Perform rating, $360 price target

Truist: Buy rating, $417 price target

Evercore ISI Group: Outperform rating, lowered price target from $420 to $415

Guggeheim: Buy rating, $390 price target

Related Link: How To Earn $500 A Month From Home Depot Stock Ahead Of Q1 Earnings

Key Items to Watch: Home Depot’s quarterly report could provide a look at how the home Improvement market is fairing.

With more people choosing to do home repairs instead of looking to buy a house with high interest rates, Home Depot could be a beneficiary. Home Depot could benefit from new home builds, but home repairs likely provide a larger opportunity with its growth in professional sales.

Any discussion on the growth of smart home items and artificial intelligence use cases could also be widely watched by investors and analysts in the report.

The company’s quarterly report comes ahead of rival Lowe’s reporting on May 24.

Home Depot shares are up more over the last year (+18.8%) compared to Lowes’s (+14.0%), but trail the year-to-date return in 2024 at -1% compared to +4.8% for Lowe’s.

HD Price Action: Home Depot shares trade on Monday at $341.69 versus a 52-week trading range of $274.26 to $396.87.

Read Next: Home Depot Extends Google Cloud Partnership To Include AI Capabilities

Photo: Shutterstock

Each week, Benzinga’s Stock Whisper Index uses a combination of proprietary data and pattern recognition to showcase five stocks just under the surface and warrant attention.

Investors are constantly on the hunt for undervalued, under-followed and emerging stocks. With countless methods available to retail traders, the challenge often lies in sifting through the abundance to uncover new information.

This index layers editorial commentary to help make sense of why these stocks should be of interest and whether investors or casual readers should watch them.

Related Link: The ‘Mag 7 Bench’ – Josh Brown Picks The Next Magnificent 7 Stocks

Here is a look at the Benzinga Stock Whisper Index for the week of May 10:

Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV): The health insurance company saw strong interest from Benzinga readers over the past week. Elevance recently reported first-quarter financial results with revenue of $42.3 billion up 1% year-over-year. The company also raised its guidance for full-year earnings.

Elevance has 46.2 million members as of the end of the first quarter. Multiple analysts raised their price targets on the stock after the earnings report.

The company is one of the largest single providers of Blue Cross Blue Shield branded coverage.

With a share price of over $500, the company sees average trading volume of less than one million shares per day. Shares are trading near 52-week highs and seeing strong interest.

Constellation Energy Corp (NASDAQ:CEG): Constellation appeared on the Stock Whisper Index in April and now made its return. Despite its size with a market capitalization of over $60 billion, Constellation doesn’t get a ton of attention.

The energy solutions company reported first-quarter earnings per share that beat consensus estimates and reported revenue that missed Street estimates. Shares hit new all-time highs after the quarterly report and are up over 170% in the last year.

In March, the company announced a $900 million, 30-year bond offering to help finance nuclear energy projects. A new report said the company is considering adding new nuclear power generation at existing sites. The move could help provide energy for data centers in the future.

SoundHound AI (NASDAQ:SOUN): The voice AI company has seen increasing interest from investors over the past year as an artificial intelligence sector stock.

Shares of the company are trading higher after the company reported first-quarter financial results. First quarter revenue of $11.6 million was up 73% year-over-year and beat Street consensus estimates. The company also beat analysts’ estimates for quarterly earnings per share.

The company stated it had a cumulative subscription and booking backlog of $682 million. The company said it saw a strong demand for subscriptions.

Shares of SoundHound are up over 160% year-to-date in 2024.

Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM): Investors might not be as familiar with the aerospace company that was previously a unit of Alcoa.

Shares of Howmet hit new 52-week highs after the company reported first-quarter financial results in early May. The company’s revenue of $1.82 billion was up 14% year-over-year and beat a Street consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. Howmet’s second-quarter revenue and earnings per share guidance are ahead of analysts’ estimates. The company also raised its full-year guidance for revenue and earnings per share.

Analysts are raising their price targets on the aerospace company.

Lumen Technologies (NYSE:LUMN): The telecommunications company is seeing strong interest from investors, which came as shares fell over 40% in the past year. The company reported first-quarter financial results in April. Lumen highlighted its strengthened balance sheet and progress on debt extensions during the quarter.

“Lumen continued to make material progress in our turnaround with our strategy intently focused on empowering digital enterprises with next-generation connectivity solutions powered by our best-in-class nationwide fiber network,” Lumen CEO Kate Johnson said.

Johnson acknowledged headwinds in the first quarter. The company recently announced new artificial intelligence tools for businesses and could be a stock to watch on a potential turnaround.

Stay tuned for next week’s report, and follow Benzinga Pro for all the latest headlines and top market-moving stories here.

Read the latest Stock Whisper Index reports here:

March 29

April 12

May 3

Read Next: EXCLUSIVE: Top 10 Most Searched Tickers On Benzinga Pro In March: Where Do Tesla, Nvidia, SPY And Reddit IPO Rank?

Cryptocurrency company Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) will report first-quarter (Q1) financial results after market close on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

Read on for earnings estimates, analyst ratings, price targets and the key items to watch:

Ratings & Targets:

• HC Wainwright: Buy rating, raised price target from $250 to $300
• JPMorgan: Neutral rating, $150 price target
• Bernstein: Market Perform rating, raised price target from $80 to $200
• Compass Point: Buy rating, raised price target from $235 to $325
• Mizuho Securities: Underperform rating, raised price target from $84 to $145
• Piper Sandler: Neutral rating, raised price target from $225 to $245
• Bank of America: Underperform rating, raised price target from $92 to $110

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Coinbase to report first-quarter revenue of $1.34 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company reported revenue of $772.53 million in last year’s first quarter. Coinbase has beaten revenue estimates from analysts in five straight quarters.

Analysts expect the company to report earnings per share of $1.00 for the first quarter, compared to a loss of 34 cents in last year’s first quarter. Coinbase has beaten earnings per share estimates in four of the last five quarter, including four consecutive quarters.

The company has not guided for revenue estimates but said previously it expects first-quarter subscription and services revenue to be in a range of $410 million to $480 million.

Related Link: EXCLUSIVE – Bitcoin Hits New All-Time High – Here’s When Benzinga Readers Think $100K Milestone Could Be Reached

What Analysts Say: The first quarter was an “eventful quarter for the cryptoecosystem,” JPMorgan analyst Kenneth Worthington said.

The analyst said Coinbase could be a key beneficiary of the increased trading activity.

Worthington expects Coinbase to post subscription and services revenue of $450 million. The analyst also sees Base, which is Coinbase’s Layer 2 platform, contributing more meaningful in the quarter at around $20 million in net revenue.

“We see Coinbase as both a leading driver and beneficiary of the cryptocurrency economy, and we previously underestimated the strength of the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs in its early days – launched January 2024 – as a key catalyst for the crypto industry,” Worthington said.

The analyst said Coinbase’s revenue generation could benefit in the short term with a crypto rally.

“We see the longer term success of Coinbase being driven by development, with our focus on tokenization and payments.”

Key Items to Watch: When Coinbase reported fourth-quarter financial results, the company said its three main priorities for 2024 would be driving revenue through improving core trading, driving utility in crypto with experiments in payments and driving regulatory clarity for the industry.

Investors and analysts will watch for all of these items in the upcoming quarterly report.

The biggest item likely watched by those looking at Coinbase will be the impact the approval and launch of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) ETFs had on the company in the first quarter.

Investors will also be looking to see how big of an impact on trading volume and transaction revenues Bitcoin had compared to other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin represented 31% of trading volume and 29% of transaction revenues in the fourth quarter.

The balance of transaction revenue with the company’s subscription and services revenue could also be something to monitor. The transaction revenue is larger but can also be more volatile from quarter to quarter, while the subscription and services revenue is growing and also important for the company increasing efforts for profitability.

COIN Price Action: Coinbase shares were up 3% to $210.09 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $46.43 to $283.48.

Read Next: Coinbase Up 300% In A Year, But Faces Bearish Technicals Ahead Of Q1 Earnings

Image: Shutterstock

Leading semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) will report first-quarter financial results after market close Tuesday.

Here are the key earnings estimates and what analysts are saying ahead of the report.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect AMD to report first quarter revenue of $5.46 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company reported revenue of $5.35 billion in last year’s first quarter. AMD has beaten revenue estimates from analysts in five straight quarters.

Analysts expect AMD to report earnings of 61 cents per share in the first quarter, slightly ahead of the 60 cents per share reported in last year’s first quarter. The company has beaten earnings per share estimates from analysts in four of the last five quarters, with one in-line quarter over the same time period.

AMD said during its fourth-quarter earnings report that it expects first quarter revenue to be $5.4 billion, plus or minus $300 million.

Related Link: EXCLUSIVE: KraneShares CIO Talks Intel And AMD, As China Seeks Semiconductor Self-Sufficiency

What Analysts Are Saying: AMD is a top pick for 2024 by Rosenblatt analyst Hans Mosesmann.

The analyst, who has a Buy rating and $250 price target, said the company is set up well for the first quarter.

“AMD setup is geared towards an inline print and a bias towards the upside, as AI MI300 and EPYC experience gains in CPUs,” Mosesmann said.

The analyst expects the company to report first quarter revenue of $5.4 billion.

“This growth helps offset the usual seasonal weakness in PCs, as well as the ongoing weakness in FPGAs and consoles.”

Mosesmann expects AMD to report second quarter revenue of $5.40 billion, which is below a consensus estimate of $5.74 billion.

Risks for the company include market share declines for CPU or GPU, the highly competitive landscape and the cyclical nature of the semiconductor sector, Mosesmann said.

“Any global economic slowdown/macroeconomic uncertainty can derail the semiconductor industry as a whole and, in turn, place pressure on AMD’s revenues.”

Here are other analyst ratings on AMD and price targets ahead of the first quarter earnings report.

• Morgan Stanley: Overweight rating, lowers price target from $193 to $177
• Susquehanna: Positive rating, lowers price target from $200 to $185
• TD Cowen: Buy rating, raises price target from $185 to $200
• Wedbush: Outperform rating, $200 price target
• Evercore: Initiates with Outperform rating, $200 price target
• HSBC: Upgrades from Hold to Buy, $225 price target

AMD Price Action: AMD shares are up 1% to $159.62 on Monday versus a 52-week trading range of $81.02 to $227.30. AMD shares are up 83% over the last year.

Read Next: AMD and Samsung Partner To Boos MI350 Chip Capabilities with Advanced Memory Tech

Photo: Shutterstock

Beverage giant Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO) will report first-quarter financial results before market open Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

Here are the earnings estimates and key items to watch ahead of the report.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Coca-Cola to report first-quarter revenue of $11.01 billion according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The estimated revenue would come in slightly ahead of last year’s first-quarter total of $10.98 billion. The company has beaten revenue estimates from analysts in 12 straight quarters.

Analysts expect the company to report first-quarter earnings per share of 70 cents, compared to 68 cents reported in last year’s first quarter. The company has beaten earnings per share estimates from analysts in three of the past five quarters and met expectations in two of the past three quarters.

Coca-Cola said earlier this year it expects fiscal year organic revenue to be up 6% to 7% year-over-year and earnings per share to increase 4% to 5% year-over-year.

Related Link: Why Coca-Cola Sells Soda Made With Real Sugar Once A Year: It’s Back, Look For Yellow Caps

Key Items to Watch: The earnings report from Coca-Cola will be closely monitored as food and beverage stocks can provide a barometer for consumer spending amid a time of increased inflation.

Coca-Cola and other food and beverage companies are working on revamping product lines and marketing to better align with low-income consumers according to a recent report.

The beverage giant has also been linked to being a company that could see declines in sales due to weight-loss drugs, which continues to be an item to monitor based on management commentary in quarterly results.

Another item to watch will be commentary on international conflicts including Europe and the Middle East. Coca-Cola said in February that it doesn’t expect the conflicts to have a material impact on its results, but that could change as time passes.

Comments on new products and future items could also be a key to watch as investors and analysts size up what’s in store for Coca-Cola for the rest of 2024.

KO Price Action: Coca-Cola shares trade at $61.75 versus a 52-week trading range of $51.55 to $64.69. Shares of Coca-Cola are down 3% over the last year.

Read Next: Will Earnings Cheer Continue To Buoy Markets? Apple, Amazon, Pfizer, Coinbase Lead Flurry Of Q1 Reports This Week

Photo: Shutterstock

Social media and technology company Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) will report first-quarter financial results after market close Wednesday, April 24.

Here are the earnings estimates and what analysts are saying ahead of the report.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Meta Platforms to report first-quarter revenue of $36.16 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company reported revenue of $28.65 billion in last year’s first quarter. Meta Platforms has beaten revenue estimates from analysts in six straight quarters.

Guidance from Meta Platforms for the first quarter calls for revenue to be in a range of $34.5 billion to $37.0 billion.

Analysts expect the company to report earnings per share of $4.32 in the first quarter, compared to $2.20 in last year’s first quarter. The company has beaten analysts’ estimates for earnings per share in four straight quarters.

Related Link: Zuckerberg Vs. Musk: Billionaire Battle Sees Meta Platforms Rejoin $1 Trillion Market Cap Club Before Tesla

Roth on META: With Meta Platforms shares up 36% year-to-date, Roth analyst Rohit Kulkarni said there are great expectations for the company’s earnings report.

The analyst, who had a Buy rating and $500 price target, said buyside expectations could be “overly ambitious” and he remains cautious.

“We are marginally cautious heading into 1Q earnings as ’24 quarterly revenue cadence under tougher YoY comps, incremental growth drivers, and impact from European regulations are big unresolved debates among investors,” Kulkarni said.

The analyst said investors could be expecting a beat and raise quarter from Meta Platforms with revenue higher than $37 billion and guidance for the second quarter to be announced at around $39.5 billion.

Kulkarni called European regulations an unknown that is tricky to predict currently.

“We will monitor developments closely as early enforcement actions become more apparent over the next couple of months.”

The analyst said comps get tougher for Meta Platforms in the second quarter and beyond, which could make the stock returning to all-time highs tough.

Benchmark on META: The impact of China-based advertisers and Reels monetization are key areas of topic for Benchmark analyst Mark Zgutowicz.

The analyst had a Hold rating and no price target on the stock.

“Given China-based advertisers drove nearly 1/3 of Meta’s ’23 ad growth and our more modest ‘24E contribution, we assume ‘24E core (non-China) ad growth accelerates,” Zgutowicz said.

The analyst also highlighted Meta’s recent increased artificial intelligence capabilities with version 2 of Meta AI rolled out. This includes posing questions to the AI assistant on WhatsApp and Messenger and providing information on posts and videos on Facebook and Instagram.

“We expect these and other use cases will be elaborated on the call.”

The analyst said that the investment in data center and GPU capital could be increased given the new capabilities of artificial intelligence for the company.

JMP on META: The use of artificial intelligence within the Meta family of apps could be the first generative AI experience that some users have, JMP analyst Andrew Boone said.

“Meta is leaning into high user engagement across its family of apps to create an adjacent service with Meta AI, similar to how it launched short-form video with Reels,” Boone said.

The analyst, who has a Market Outperform rating and $550 price target, said the large opportunity for Meta “is to take share of search queries.” This could lead to more data to use in personalized ads.

Boone said the new AI could lead to Meta being in an investment cycle for data centers and AI talent.

“AI unlocks new areas of engagement, data, and monetization.”

The analyst said data from Pew Research from February 2024 showed that 23% of U.S. adults have used ChaGPT, which means Meta’s AI tools could be the first time many of its users experience generative AI.

“With AI chats likely more personalized over time as models improve and learn from past interactions, there may be a first mover advantage that Meta can capture.”

Boone said the opportunity for Meta is additional searches, which has potential for more monetization.

META Price Action: Meta shares are up 2.88% to $495.02 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $207.13 to $531.49. Shares of Meta are up over 130% in the last year.

Read Next: Microsoft, Meta Reveal Limited Edition Meta Quest VR Headset With Game Pass Bundle‘

Photo: Shutterstock