Business Services Q4 Earnings on Feb 27: BID, CORE, SYKE

The bulk of the fourth-quarter earnings season is behind us with almost 82% of the total S&P 500 index members having released their results through Feb 17, The retail sector, however, has a significant number of earnings releases left.

Per the latest Earnings Preview, 411 S&P 500 companies have reported their earnings so far with 68.9% topping bottom-line estimates and 54.7% coming in ahead of top-line expectations. The overall preview report suggests that earnings results are expected to move up 7.4%, with an increase of 3.9% in revenues from the same period last year. 

The earnings picture has been pretty impressive this season compared with a string of losses in the past couple of seasons.  Four out of 16 Zacks sectors are expected to witness a decline in earnings in the quarter, with Conglomerates, Autos and Transportation being the biggest drag.

Despite the negative earnings in the last couple quarters the Business Services sector has always remained in the positive territory. For the sector, earnings are expected to grow 11%, while sales are likely to rise 7.5% from last year. The projected improvement is majorly driven by the growing momentum in the economy as a whole and the job market in particular during the quarter.

Let’s have a sneak peek at three major Business Services stocks set to release their fourth-quarter 2016 results on Monday.

Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. CORE is a leading provider of fresh and broad-line supply solutions to the retail industry. Per our model, a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) for it to beat estimates. For the quarter, this Zacks Rank #3 stock has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%, thus making an earnings prediction uncertain. Over the trailing four quarters, the company has beaten estimates twice, with an average positive surprise of 1.88%.

You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter

Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

 

Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. Quote

Sotheby's BID is slated to report its results before the market opens. It is one of the world's second largest auctioneers of fine arts, antiques and collectibles, offering property in collecting categories, including paintings, jewelry, decorative arts, and books. Sotheby's Holdings, Inc is the parent company of Sotheby's worldwide auction businesses, art-related financing and private sales activities. The company operates in countries, with principal salesrooms located in New York and London. The company also regularly conducts auctions in other salesrooms around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Singapore.

For the quarter, we cannot predict and earnings beat as the company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. 

Sotheby's Price and EPS Surprise

 

Sotheby's Price and EPS Surprise | Sotheby's Quote

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated SYKE is slated to report its results after market close. The company is a leader in providing vertically integrated technology-based solutions through an integrated strategy of combining its information technology services with an emerging e-commerce platform.Over the trailing four quarters, the company has beaten estimates on all occasions, with an average positive surprise of 15.36%. The company’s Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) when combined with an ESP of 0.00%, makes earnings prediction uncertain.

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise

 

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise | Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated Quote

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Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. (CORE): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Sotheby's (BID): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated (SYKE): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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