Earnings to Watch Next Week: Marriott, Electronic Arts, Alibaba and Walt Disney in Focus

• Monday (May 10)
• Tuesday (May 11)
• Wednesday (May 12)
• Thursday (May 13)
• Friday (May 14)

Earnings Calendar For The Week Of May 10

Monday (May 10)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: MARRIOTT

Marriott International, an American multinational diversified hospitality company, is expected to report its first-quarter earnings of $0.03 per share, which represents a year-over-year decline of over 88% from $0.26 per share seen in the same quarter a year ago.

The U.S. hotel operator’s revenue would slump about 50% to $2.36 billion. However, in the last quarter, the company has delivered an earnings surprise of over 20%.

“Largest hotel brand company globally creates economies of scale, but the spread of COVID-19 will pressure unit growth. With the stock trading near its historical average multiple, we see too wide a risk-reward to justify recommending, with upside/downside driven by how severe and quick business trends return to normal post-COVID-19,” noted Thomas Allen, equity analyst at Morgan Stanley.

Tuesday (May 11)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ELECTRONIC ARTS

Electronic Arts, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, is expected to report its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $1.04 per share, which represents a year-over-year decline of over 3% from $1.08 per share seen in the same quarter a year ago.

The world’s largest video game publishers would post revenue growth of about 15% to around $1.39 billion. However, in the last four quarters, the company has delivered an earnings surprise of over 500%.

“For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, EA expects GAAP revenues of $1.317 billion, cost of revenues to be $302 million, and operating expenses of $837 million. EA anticipates a loss per share of 7 cents for the fourth quarter. Net bookings are expected to be $1.375 billion, which indicates an increase of $75 million over the prior guidance. For fiscal 2021, EA expects revenues of $5.6 billion, cost of revenues to be $1.477 billion, and earnings per share of $2.54,” noted analysts at ZACKS Research.

Wednesday (May 12)

Thursday (May 13)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ALIBABA, WALT DISNEY

ALIBABA: China’s Alibaba Group Holding, the largest online and mobile e-commerce company in the world, is expected to report its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $1.82 per share, up over 40% from the same quarter a year ago. China’s biggest online commerce company’s revenue to surge more than 70% to $27.7 billion.

“Heightened investments in Taobao Deal and Grocery for user acquisition in less-affluent regions in China, should support long-term growth in core e-commerce business. Merchants’ marketing budgets will continue to shift online given rising reliance on e-commerce and better conversion. Alibaba’s ad resources remain under-monetized,” noted Gary Yu, equity analyst at Morgan Stanley.

“Digitalization trend in China will also sustain AliCloud’s growth potential. Gradual margin expansion will be a long-term profit driver. We see limited near-term catalysts but F22e P/E valuation remains attractive. We also see further downside support from additional disclosure to separate losses from new investments from profitable core e-commerce businesses.”

WALT DISNEY: The world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information is expected to report its fiscal second-quarter earnings of $0.27 per share, which represents a year-over-year decline of over 50%. The Chicago, Illinois-based family entertainment company’s revenue would slump over 10% to $ 16.1 billion.

“Disney is building content assets that enable it to take advantage of the significant direct-to-consumer streaming opportunity ahead. Disney’s underlying IP remains best-in-class, supporting long-term content monetization opportunities,” noted Benjamin Swinburne, equity analyst at Morgan Stanley.

“During this period of FCF pressure from Parks closures, ESPN’s FCF generation is key to driving down leverage. Historical cycles suggest a potential return to above prior peak US Parks revenues in FY23.”

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR EARNINGS CALENDAR FOR THE FULL RELEASES FOR THE MAY 13

Friday (May 14)