For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – June 28, 2016– Zacks Equity Research highlights Restaurant Brands International (QSR) as the Bull of the Day and Buffalo Wild Wings ( BWLD) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) (GE), United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX) (UTX) and Honeywell International Inc (NYSE:HON). (HON).
Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:
If you are already getting sick of all the Brexit talk, fear not, as Restaurant Brands International ( QSR) subsidiary Burger King has just the thing to take your mind off of the turmoil. Their latest product offering looks to combine Mac & Cheese with Cheetos in a fresh hybrid dish that is only available this summer.
This really continues an innovative trend for Burger King as the company looks to differentiate itself in the ultra-competitive fast food market and beat out several of its rivals in the process. And after a period of disarray following its merger with Tim Horton’s, this fresh approach to fast food which focuses on new products and better values is finally starting to resonate with customers. Investors can also see this trend taking place if we look to a few key metrics for QSR stock.
QSR Recently
Shares of QSR bottomed out in early 2016 around $32/share and really took off following their February earnings report. In that release, QSR beat expectations by about 6.5% and shares really took off from there, soaring to the low $40s.
The stock had been stuck in this high $30s low $40s range for a while lately, but this breather for shares of QSR could actually make for a good entry point for investors, and especially if you look to recent analyst changes to earnings estimates for the stock.
Earnings Estimates
Recent changes to earnings estimates have been very positive for QSR stock, as no analysts have pushed their estimates lower for the security in the past sixty days for either the current quarter or the current year. And the magnitude of recent earnings estimate revisions has also been impressive and particularly when investors look to current year figures.
In fact, in just the past two months, full year estimates have risen by over 15%, while they have jumped by over 9% for the following year too. And with these kind of increases, analysts are now expecting a 30% year-over-year growth rate for QSR this year, making the company an excellent choice for investors seeking earnings growth in the restaurant industry.
With the Brexit panic in full swing, even companies beyond the financial space are taking a hit. And with pretty much every company tumbling as of late, how do you find the ones that are likely to turnaround when this turmoil passes, and which are unlikely to climb back?
Well, one way to parse through the list is to take a look at companies with weak earnings estimate revisions. These changes in analyst expectations could signal that a company’s problems are more than broad market related, and that more pain could be ahead in the future, no matter what happens with Brexit.
Company to Watch & Recent Performance
A popular company that definitely fits this bill is Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD). The company missed earnings estimates in its last report, and BWLD is actually on a pretty rough streak when it comes to meeting analyst expectations.
In fact, BWLD has missed earnings estimates in each of the last six quarters, showing that the company has had trouble for a pretty long period of time on this front. And given that the four quarter average miss is at over 11%, you can’t even really argue that BWLD is just barely undershooting estimates either.
Additional content:
How Brexit Hurt These Industrial Stocks
With the U.K’s shocking decision to exit the European Union or Brexit, equity markets across the globe witnessed a dreaded bloodbath. As the news spread like wildfire and resonated across the markets, significant shareholders' wealth eroded on Friday. A wave of uncertainty forced investors to flee to safe havens like government debt and gold.
Various U.S. companies from diverse sectors with considerable exposure to the U.K. market also felt the ripple effect. These companies mostly prefer U.K. cities like London and Birmingham to Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Amsterdam and others for establishing a European footprint. About one-third of the sales of these firms in the European continent are reportedly eked out through their British counterparts, which usually tend to be their regional headquarters.
On a broader perspective, the companies on the benchmark S&P 500 index draw average revenue of 2.9% from the U.K. For these companies, operating costs are likely to escalate as they restructure their resources to maintain access to both the European Union and Britain. Currency conversion will likely add to the woes as the news led to a freefall in pound to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 at around $1.3407.
GE Remains Focused
The U.S. Industrials sector declined over 4% on Friday as concerns over Brexit lingered in the equity markets. Export-oriented Industrials are likely to face significant headwinds with a stronger dollar. This is particularly true for General Electric Company ( GE) that has 22,000 employees in the U.K. and over 100,000 employees in Europe. According to a stress report by analysts of financial services holding firm Stifel Financial, about 1.5% of the $108.8 billion revenues expected in 2016 could be at risk following the Brexit referendum.
General Electric shares fell 4.4% to $29.82 on Friday, Jun 24, 2016 following the news. However, Jeffrey R. Immelt, the Chairman and CEO of the company, reiterated that it would continue to focus on the digital transformation of the continent including the U.K. to explore growth opportunities in the region (read more: GE Expands Industrial Internet for Digital Growth in Europe ).
GENL ELECTRIC Price | GENL ELECTRIC Quote
UTX Allays Fears & Reaffirms Guidance
With over 8,000 employees, United Technologies Corporation ( UTX) has a considerable presence in the U.K, registering approximately $2 billion in revenues from the region in 2015 out of the overall tally of $56.1 billion. The Brexit news led to a 3.4% decline in share prices to $98.99 at the close of trading hours on Friday. However, the company allayed fears of investors regarding any impact from the Brexit on its future performance and reiterated its guidance for 2016 for adjusted EPS of $6.30 to $6.60 on sales of $56 billion to $58 billion and organic sales growth of 1–3%.
UTX TECHS CORP Price | UTD TECHS CORP Quote
Gregory Hayes, the President and CEO of the company remarked, "We are hopeful that the separation process will be carried out in a manner that minimizes disruption and economic impact. We believe that the current benefits of a free and open trading zone will largely remain at the conclusion of this process. As a globally diversified company, we are well equipped to manage these types of uncertainties."
Honeywell Gets Bruised
With over 7,000 employees, the U.K. is one of the largest markets for Honeywell International Inc. ( HON) in Europe and remains an integral part of its plans for future growth in the region. In the U.K., the company has businesses in all the three reportable segments of Aerospace, Automation and Control Solutions and Performance Materials and Technologies.
In 2015, Honeywell had generated $8,674 million in revenues in Europe out of an overall tally of $38,581 million, a sizable portion of which was registered in the U.K. Non-U.S. manufactured products and services, mainly in Europe and Asia, were 39% of total sales in 2015. With such an exposure, no wonder the shares took a beating on Friday to close at $112.98, down 3.7%.
End Note
Analysts at the Dutch bank ING perfectly summed it up, “While not every sector is as vulnerable to a British demand shock, manufacturing in general and air transport would definitely take a hit. Moreover, a Brexit could actually reroute investments to continental Europe, either through repatriations or new investments from non-EU countries which took the UK as an entrance point to the European Single Market.” Although the Industrial sector in the U.S. is likely to take some short-term beatings owing to Brexit, it is likely to devise newer strategies to counter muted growth and related risks over the long term.
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RESTAURANT BRND (QSR): Free Stock Analysis Report
BUFFALO WLD WNG (BWLD): Free Stock Analysis Report
GENL ELECTRIC (GE): Free Stock Analysis Report
UTD TECHS CORP (UTX): Free Stock Analysis Report
HONEYWELL INTL (HON): Free Stock Analysis Report
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