Is A Beat In The Cards For BorgWarner (BWA) In Q1 Earnings?

BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE:BWA) is set to report first-quarter 2018 results, before the market opens on Apr 26. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 0.8%. In fact, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average beat of 0.3%.

Year to date, shares of BorgWarner have outperformed the industry it belongs to. The stock has gained 3.3% compared with the industry’s rise of 1% during the period.

Let’s see how things are shaping up for the upcoming announcement.

BorgWarner Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Why a Likely Positive Surprise

Our proven model shows that BorgWarner is likely to beat on earnings this quarter. That is because it has the right combination of the two key ingredients — a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better — for increasing the odds of an earnings beat.

Zacks ESP: BorgWarner has an Earnings ESP of +6.29% as the Most Accurate estimate is pegged at $1.04 cents, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.03 cents. A positive ESP indicates a likely earnings surprise. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: BorgWarner carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). This when combined with a positive ESP, makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat.

Conversely, we caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.

What’s Driving the Better-Than-Expected Earnings?

BorgWarner expects first-quarter 2018 net earnings in the range of $4.25-$4.35 per share. Moreover, it expects organic sales growth of 3-5.5% compared with $2.41 billion recorded in the year-ago quarter.

Also, the company’s stock has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for annual earnings being revised 0.5% upward over the last seven days.

The company launches innovative products to improve its product offering and boost sales at regular intervals. In March, BorgWarner introduced Electro-Mechanical On-Demand transfer case that will cater different vehicle types, ranging from heavy-duty pickup trucks to small sport utility vehicles. The new transfer case offers swift response and advanced torque on both on and off-road performances.

Further, the company also collaborates with other companies to launch new products. In February, it teamed up with China FAW Group Corporation (“FAW”) to offer eGearDrive transmission system. The technology is featured in two electric vehicle models of FAW Group, namely Besturn B30EV and Junpai A70E.

Ample cash flow and a healthy balance sheet enable BorgWarner to boost shareholder value in the company. In 2018, the company projects share repurchase of around $100 million. These efforts are likely to positively impact earnings.

Other Stocks to Consider

Here are a few other stocks worth considering from the same space, with the right combination of elements to outpace earnings estimates this time around:

Tenneco Inc. (NYSE:TEN) has an Earnings ESP of +0.90% and has a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is expected to report first-quarter 2018 results on Apr 27. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI) has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% and is a #2 Ranked player. Its first-quarter 2018 results are slated to be announced on May 1.

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AXL) has an Earnings ESP of +3.45% and has a Zacks Rank of 3. The company will report first-quarter 2018 results on May 4.

Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies

It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%.

And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.

See Them Free>>