Wall Street Week Ahead Earnings: Alphabet, PayPal, Exxon Mobil, Meta, Qualcomm and Amazon in Focus

Investors will focus on December quarter earnings for stocks that are economically sensitive, which should show better profits than technology stocks. Increasing Treasury yields and risk aversion will hit the stock market hard next week, making the big tech earnings that much more critical. In addition, investors will closely monitor the latest news on the rapidly spread Omicron coronavirus variant to see how it impacts earnings in 2022.

• Monday (January 31)
• Tuesday (February 1)
• Wednesday (February 2)
• Thursday (February 3)
• Friday (February 4)

Earnings Calendar For The Week Of January 31

Monday (January 31)

 

Tuesday (February 1)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ALPHABET (GOOGLE), PAYPAL, EXXON MOBIL

ALPHABET: The parent of Google and the world’s largest search engine that dominates internet search activity globally is expected to report its fourth-quarter earnings of $26.71 per share, which represents year-over-year growth of about 20% from $22.3 per share seen in the same period a year ago.

The Mountain View, California-based internet giant would post revenue growth of nearly 27% to $72.133 billion from $56.9 billion a year ago. It is worth noting that the company has consistently beaten consensus earnings estimates in the last two years, at least.

“Key Alphabet (GOOG) ’22 Ad Buyer Survey conclusions: i) Google Search remains highest ROI platform; ii) YouTube expected to gain ad share ’21-’23; & iii) GOOG Search & YouTube are the top platforms for ad buyers reallocating budget due to iOS changes. We est. GOOG’s share of WW Digital adv. (x-China) goes from 41% to 37% ’22-’27. We extended model to ’27, PT to$3,500 vs. prior $3,360, reiterate Outperform,” noted John Blackledge, equity analyst at Cowen.

PAYPAL: The digital payments company is expected to report its fourth-quarter earnings of $0.86 per share, which represents year-over-year growth of about 15% from $0.75 per share seen in the same period a year ago. The San Jose, California-based company would post revenue growth of over 12% to around $6.9 billion.

EXXON MOBIL: The oil company will see its earnings rise multi-fold in the fourth quarter thanks to higher energy prices and a waning pandemic that helped it bounce back after a tough period in 2020.

The Irving Texas-based company is expected to report its fourth-quarter earnings of $1.73 per share, which represents year-over-year growth of over 5,666%, up from $0.03 per share seen in the same period a year ago.

The U.S. largest publicly traded oil company is expected to report a 97.3% increase in revenue to $91.845 billion from $46.54 billion a year ago. On Dec 30, the Irving Texas-based company in its regulatory filing said that higher oil and gas prices would enable it to achieve annual profitability starting in 2021 with an operating profit increase of up to $1.9 billion.

The U.S. largest publicly traded oil company hinted that oil and gas earnings could decrease by up to $1.2 billion as a result of one-time charges for asset impairments and contractual costs. Exxon announced late last year announced that a sharply higher operating profit in oil and gas, prompting Credit Suisse, Scotiabank, and JPMorgan to raise their fourth-quarter earnings estimates.

“Improving FCF outlook and dividend sustainability. With a more constructive commodity price outlook, lower capital spending, and additional cash operating cost savings, the dividend is covered in 2021 and averages >100% over the next 5-years on our estimates. Improving dividend sustainability supports yield compression for Exxon Mobil (XOM) relative to CVX,” noted Devin McDermott, Equity Analyst and Commodities Strategist at Morgan Stanley.

“Cost cuts defend the dividend. In 2020, Exxon Mobil (XOM) reduced 2022-25 spending plans to $20-25B from $30-35B (recently extended to 2027), improving dividend sustainability while limiting further pull on the balance sheet. Additionally, Exxon Mobil (XOM) is targeting $6B in structural operating cost reductions by 2023 which should put upward pressure on consensus FCF estimates.”

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR EARNINGS CALENDAR FOR THE FULL RELEASES FOR THE FEBRUARY 1

 

Wednesday (February 2)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: META PLATFORMS (FACEBOOK), QUALCOMM

META PLATFORMS (FACEBOOK): The world’s largest online social network is expected to report its fourth-quarter earnings of $3.78 per share, which represents a year-over-year decline of over 2% from $3.88 per share seen in the same period a year ago.

The Menlo Park, California-based social media conglomerate would post revenue growth of over 30% to around $33.04 billion. The social media giant has consistently beaten consensus earnings estimates in most of the quarters in the last two years, at least.

QUALCOMM: The world’s biggest mobile phone chipmaker is expected to report its fiscal first-quarter earnings of $2.77 per share, which represents a year-over-year decline of over 40% from $1.97 per share seen in the same period a year ago.

The chip manufacturer would post revenue growth of nearly 27% to $10.45 billion. It is worth noting that the company has consistently beaten consensus earnings estimates in the last two years, at least.

Qualcomm forecasts GAAP revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 to be between $10 billion and $10.8 billion. On a non-GAAP basis, earnings will likely range from $2.90 to $3.10 per share, while GAAP earnings will likely range from $2.53 to $2.73 per share, according to ZACKS Research.

“After underperforming the SOXX for most of 2021 until a sharp rally late in the year, we see a strong setup for a now Apple-overhang-free Qualcomm in 2022 as investors begin to appreciate the diverse revenue drivers beyond Wireless. Expect solid print and guide, with focus on execution and growth in the connected intelligent edge and update our estimates accordingly,” noted Matthew Ramsay, equity analyst at Cowen.

“We reiterate our price target of $210 based on 17.5x our F2023 EPS estimate of $12.0 and our Outperform rating.”

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR EARNINGS CALENDAR FOR THE FULL RELEASES FOR THE FEBRUARY 2

 

Thursday (February 3)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: AMAZON

The e-commerce leader for physical and digital merchandise, Amazon, is expected to report its fourth-quarter earnings of $3.9 per share, which represents a year-over-year decline of over 70% from $14.09 per share seen in the same period a year ago.

However, the Seattle, Washington-based multinational technology giant would post revenue growth of about 10% to around $138 billion. The company has beaten earnings per share (EPS) estimates most of the time in the two years.

“We are reiterating our BUY rating and our price target to $3,900. Our price target is based on our updated discounted cash flow model, including our long-term adj. EBITDA margin forecast of 22.0% versus 13.7% in 2020,” noted Tom Forte, MD, Senior Research Analyst at D.A. DAVIDSON.

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR EARNINGS CALENDAR FOR THE FULL RELEASES FOR THE FEBRUARY 3

 

Friday (February 4)