The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) is scheduled to report second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4, after the closing bell. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 19.67%.
The packaged food manufacturer delivered positive earnings surprises in three of the past four quarters with an average surprise of 4.46%.
Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.
Factors to Consider
Kraft Heinz has been seeing top-line weakness over several past quarters. The company is witnessing lower volumes and share losses in the U.S. due to weak category trends. Reduced spending by the U.S. shoppers and a shift in consumer preference toward natural and organic ingredients over packaged and processed food has been hurting the company’s business. Category trends and market share performance are likely to remain under pressure in the second quarter and through the rest of 2016.
Despite relatively soft sales, cost savings have led to better margins, primarily in the developed markets of the U.S. and Europe. We expect the trend to continue in the second quarter. A part of these savings are being re-invested in the business for innovation, brand building and marketing to stimulate top-line growth.
Earnings Whispers
Our proven model does not conclusively show that Kraft Heinz is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESPand a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below.
Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP is 2.82% as the Most Accurate estimate stands at 73 cents while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged lower at 71 cents.
Zacks Rank:Kraft Heinz has a Zacks Rank #4.
Note that we caution against stocks with Zacks Rank #4 and 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.
Stocks to Consider
Some stocks in the consumer staples sector that have both a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank include:
The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) , with an Earnings ESP of +4.07% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST) , with an Earnings ESP of 12.5% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Hold).
Omega Protein Corp. (NYSE:OME) , with an Earnings ESP of +2.13% and a Zacks Rank #1.
SMUCKER JM (SJM): Free Stock Analysis Report
OMEGA PROTEIN (OME): Free Stock Analysis Report
POST HOLDINGS (POST): Free Stock Analysis Report
KRAFT HEINZ CO (KHC): Free Stock Analysis Report
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