Morning News Call
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MORNING NEWS CALL TOP NEWS • Anthem quarterly profit beats estimates, raises 2018 forecast Anthem Inc reported quarterly profit that topped analysts' estimates on lower medical costs and the No.2 U.S. health insurer raised its full-year adjusted earnings forecast. • Printing firm Quad/Graphics to buy peer LSC in $1.4 billion deal Printing services firm Quad/Graphics Inc said it would buy peer LSC Communications in an all-stock deal valued at about $1.4 billion, to expand its footprint in the industry. • Yum Brands quarterly revenue beats estimates Yum Brands Inc's third-quarter revenue beat Wall Street estimates , as more people visited its KFC and Taco Bell chains. • Carlyle reports 25 cents for Q3 earnings per unit, misses forecast Alternative asset manager Carlyle Group LP missed estimates for earnings per unit for the third quarter, as the value of its private equity investments rose less than that one of its key rivals. • Samsung slashes capex, calls end to chip boom after record Q3 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd slashed 2018 capex by more than a quarter and warned of lower profit until early next year, calling an end to a two-year boom in memory chips that fuelled record third-quarter profit. BEFORE THE BELL U.S. stock futures rose, taking cues from global markets, after a brutal October that saw sharp downturns in equity markets. The dollar steadied against a basket of currencies ahead of ADP national employment report. Oil prices rose as markets braced for the imposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran next week and gold prices slipped. After-market earnings update from American International Group will also be in focus. STOCKS TO WATCH Results • Amgen Inc (AMGN). The company on Tuesday said stock buybacks lifted its third-quarter earnings per share, but operating income fell as expenses rose and sales of some key products declined. Total revenue for the quarter rose 2 percent from a year earlier to $5.9 billion. Operating expenses, including research and product launch costs, increased 7 percent to $3.58 billion. Adjusted earn- ings per share at the world's largest biotechnology company rose 13 percent to $3.69 for the quarter, exceeding Wall Street analysts' average estimate by 24 cents, according to Refinitiv data. • Anthem Inc (ANTM). The company reported quarterly profit that topped analysts' estimates on lower medical costs and the No.2 U.S. health insurer raised its full-year adjusted earnings forecast. Excluding items, the company earned $3.81 per share, topping the average analyst estimate of $3.70 per share, according to Refinitiv data. Total revenue rose 3.7 percent to $23.25 billion, ahead of analysts' estimate of $22.94 billion. • Baidu Inc (BIDU). The Chinese search engine operator forecast fourth-quarter sales below analyst estimates, saying new regula- tions and uncertainty surrounding a Sino-U.S. trade spat has prompted clients to cut back on advertising. The firm expects October- December revenue of 25.48 billion to 26.72 billion yuan, versus 23.6 billion yuan in the same period a year prior. The forecast com- pared with the 27.6 billion yuan average of 17 analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv. Net income rose 56 percent in July- September, also slightly above estimates, though operating margin fell to 16 percent from 21 percent. Excluding gains from divesting its financial services business, Baidu posted adjusted earnings per share of 19.01 yuan versus the 16.70 yuan analyst estimate. • Bunge Ltd (BG). The global grains trader, which has been receiving takeover bids, said it added three directors to its board, bowing to pressure from activist investors D.E. Shaw and Continental Grain Co. Bunge, which separately reported quarterly results, saw net income available to shareholders rise to $365 million, or $2.39 per share, in the third quarter ended, from $92 million, or 59 cents per share, a year earlier. • Carlyle Group LP (CG). The alternative asset manager missed estimates for earnings per unit for the third quarter, as the value of its private equity investments rose less than that one of its key rivals. The company's quarterly economic net income per unit came in at 25 cents. That missed analysts' expectations for 51 cents, according to Refinitiv data, and compared with 56 cents a year earlier. • EBay Inc (EBAY). The company beat analysts' estimates for third-quarter profit by managing costs at a time when bigger rival Ama- zon.com Inc missed revenue estimates and forecast sales below expectations for the holiday quarter. The company's profit rose to $721 million, or 73 cents per share, in the third quarter ended, from $520 million, or 48 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, the company earned 56 cents per share, beating estimates of 54 cents. Net revenue rose 6 percent to $2.65 billion, in line with analyst expectations. • Electronic Arts Inc (EA). The company forecast third-quarter revenue below Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, as the video-game publisher's delayed launch of its popular "Battlefield V" game hurt the company in an already crowded holiday-season game slate. EA forecast third-quarter adjusted revenue of $1.73 billion, missing the average analysts' estimate of $2 billion, according to Refinitiv data.The revenue forecast was down 12 percent, compared to the same period last year. • Estee Lauder Cos Inc (EL). The company beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter sales, buoyed by higher demand for luxury skincare products such as La Mer and M.A.C makeup. Net sales rose nearly 8 percent to $3.52 billion, beating the average analyst estimate of $3.47 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Net income attributable to the company rose to $500 million, or $1.34 per share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30, from $427 million, or $1.14 per share, a year earlier. • Facebook Inc (FB). The company on Tuesday relieved investors by forecasting that margins would stop shrinking after 2019 as costs from scandals ease up, sending shares up despite a second-straight quarter with record-low user growth. The company esti- mated 2018 expenses would rise 50 percent to 55 percent above last year, trimming an earlier range of up to 60 percent. It forecasts expenses will grow 40 percent to 50 percent in 2019. Overall third-quarter revenue was $13.7 billion, up 33 percent from the same period last year and in line with expectations when accounting for currency fluctuations. Quarterly profit of $5.1 billion, or $1.76 per share, was up 9 percent and above the average per-share estimate of $1.48. • FireEye Inc (FEYE). The company reported better-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue on Tuesday as the cybersecurity firm benefited from its shift to a subscription-based model and lower costs, sending its shares up in extended trading. Loss attributable to shareholders narrowed to $50 million, or 26 cents per share, in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with $69.2 million, or 39 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, FireEye posted a profit of 6 cents per-share, above analysts' estimates of a profit of 2 cents. • Nomura Holdings Inc(NMR). Japan's biggest brokerage and investment bank posted its first quarterly loss in over two years as it booked a previously flagged 20 billion yen charge for a U.S. settlement and as profits from operations slumped. Nomura said in a statement it posted a net loss of 11.2 billion yen for its second quarter ended in September, versus a 51.9 billion yen profit a year ear- lier. Pre-tax profit at the wholesale division, which serves corporations and institutional investors, fell 71 percent from a year earlier to 4.9 billion yen, hurt by weak fixed-income revenues in the United States and Europe. • Sanofi SA (SNY). The company lifted its 2018 profit target for the second time this year after robust sales of its vaccines and rare diseases division, Genzyme, helped it beat third-quarter profit expectations. The French drugmaker said it now expected earnings per share to grow by between 4 and 5 percent this year, up from a previous 3-5 percent target range. Sanofi's third-quarter net income rose by 10.3 percent at constant exchange rates to 2.3 billion euros while revenues increased 6.3 percent to 9.4 billion euros. • SunPower Corp (SPWR). The U.S. solar company on Tuesday lowered its 2018 forecast after some customers delayed equipment purchases due to a freefall in the market price of panels that was instigated by solar policy changes in top market China. The compa- ny forecast 2018 revenue of $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion on a net basis, compared with a prior view of $1.6 billion to $2 billion. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization are expected to be between $100 million and $120 million, compared with a prior view of $95 million to $125 million. • Tata Motors Ltd (TTM) India's Tata Motors Ltd reported a loss for the three months ended September, dented by weak Jaguar Land Rover sales and a one-off charge in respect to a subsidiary closure in Thailand. The automaker made a loss of 10.49 billion rupees ($141.9 million), compared with a profit of 24.83 billion rupees in the year-ago period, the company said. The automaker in- curred a one-off charge of 4.37 billion rupees due to the closure of operations at its Thailand-based subsidiary. • T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS). The company on Tuesday exceeded Wall Street's quarterly estimates for net new phone subscribers and profit, driven by its competitive wireless plans and trade-in offers for iPhones aimed at fending off its bigger rivals.