It’s not a perfect world out there for investors, but things may be starting to get better.
So many things could’ve gone wrong on Wall Street this past quarter, but the market exchanges still managed to post healthy returns fueled by the S&P 500’s impressive 10% return. Despite the sequester and the mess in Europe that boiled over in Cyprus, investors remain confident.
I recently went over some of the companies that are expected to post lower quarterly profits when they report this week. Thankfully, they’re the exceptions and not the rule.
Let’s go over some publicly traded companies that are expected to stand tall this week by posting year-over-year improvement on the bottom line.
| Company | Latest-Quarter EPS (estimated) | Year-Ago Quarter EPS |
|---|---|---|
| Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) | $0.89 | $0.83 |
| Oxford Industries (NYSE:OXM) | $0.70 | $0.61 |
| Monsanto (NYSE:MON) | $2.58 | $2.28 |
| ConAgra (NYSE:CAG) | $0.56 | $0.51 |
| Conn’s (NASDAQ:CONN) | $0.56 | $0.34 |
Source: Thomson Reuters.
Clearing the table
Let’s start at the top with Global Payments. The provider of electronic transaction processing solutions came through with a strong fiscal second quarter three months ago, jacking up its bottom-line guidance for all of fiscal 2013 along the way. Global Payments also now sees revenue for the fiscal year ending in May climbing at a respectable 7% to 9% rate. The pros are targeting earnings of $0.89 a share when it reports tomorrow.
Oxford Industries is the company behind the tropical yet stylish Tommy Bahama shirts and its namesake Oxford Golf apparel. Other product lines in Oxford’s bag include Lilly Pulitzer, Ben Sherman, and Billy London. Fashions can be fickle, but Oxford’s clothing lines generally appeal to middle-aged and elderly shoppers who don’t mind sticking with what works.
Oxford had an impressive streak of seven consecutive quarters of beating Wall Street’s bottom-line estimates end in its most recent quarter, so investors will want to see on which side of the $0.70 a share that analysts are forecasting Oxford ultimately lands tomorrow.
Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) is a giant among agricultural chemicals makers, and that makes it a target for activist groups that object to bioengineered seeds. Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) and crop harvesters swear by its products that help improve yields, but naysayers wonder about the ramifications of swaying from the natural order of things.
Investors are welcome to take sides on the debate, but numbers don’t lie. Analysts see revenue and earnings improving in the low double digits when Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) steps up on Wednesday.
ConAgra is the food giant behind many popular brands. From Chef Boyardee cans of pasta to Healthy Choice frozen entrees, from Orville Redenbacher bags of microwavable popcorn to Slim Jim sticks of beef jerky, ConAgra gets around in the grocery store aisle.
