With High Volatility In Energy Markets, Earnings Date Revisions Flagged
Christine Short | Oct 22, 2021 03:52PM ET
Executive Summary
- After a stellar first week of earnings season, investors await reporting dates from heavy hitters before month end
- Two firms with unusual earnings dates look to boost their cloud presence as the world continues to move more virtual
- With uncertainty and volatility running high in energy markets and consumers flush with cash, a firm with high brand recognition is featured with an important earnings date revision
Earnings Outliers
Citrix Systems (NASDAQ:CTXS) is a $12.3-billion digital workspace firm in the information technology sector. Listed on both the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500, the company’s offerings are staples for many businesses’ IT infrastructure. Citrix is at the heart of two major themes developing in the global corporate world: systems security and the future of hybrid work. Amid the chaotic industry — though ripe with opportunity — there have been shifts within the firm.
C-Suite Change
Earlier this month, Citrix issued a press release to announce the immediate departure of former CEO David J. Henshall. Bob Calderoni takes over as the chief executive. In a statement, the company said it remains committed to transitioning the business to SaaS (software as a service). There were other changes to the leadership team in the press release.
Poor Price Action
Citrix also disclosed preliminary third quarter 2021 revenue figures in the Oct. 6 message. While net sales are now forecast to verify at the mid-point to the high end of its previously announced guidance range of $765 million to $775 million, the stock price reaction was abysmal. Shares are down more than 30% from the 52-week high.
Driving the declines are a pair of recent earnings reports. CTXS fell from $140 to $125 in late April and then again from $115 to $100 at the end of August. Disappointing Q2 results and soft Q3 guidance kept the bears in charge over the summer. All eyes are now on the Q3 report as analysts scrutinize the company’s shift to the cloud.
Figure 1: Citrix Stock Price History (1-Year)
Outlier Analysis
Citrix usually reports Q3 earnings from Oct. 22-25 with a Wednesday or Thursday trend.
Get The News You Want
July 30: Wall Street Horizon set an unconfirmed Q3 earnings date of Oct. 28 BMO based on its reporting history.
Oct. 6: We changed the Q3 earnings date to Nov. 4 BMO Confirmed via press release.
The later-than-usual earnings date resulted in a very high Z-score of 5.54. Traders should be on guard for unusual results or other announcements given the leadership transition and recent earnings-related volatility.
Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) is up next with an earlier than expected earnings date. ROK is a $37B U.S. large cap company in the industrials sector. The stock has a broad range this year—rising from $240 in the first quarter to a 52-week high of $325 in early August before dipping to $290 in September. Shares are again approaching $325 ahead of its Q4 earnings report.
Figure 2: Rockwell Automation Stock Price History (1-Year)
Upcoming Corporate Events
Traders should also take note of Rockwell’s Investo r Meeting 2021 to be held on Nov. 10-11. The Analyst Day will also feature the company’s 30th annual Automation Fair in Houston, Texas. Clusters of events often lead to elevated share price volatility that can be valuable to those in the know.
Another SaaS Story
What else is happening with Rockwell Automation? Like Citrix, it is pushing into the SaaS space. Back on June 25, the firm announced an expansion of its industrial cloud software offering with the acquisition of Plex Systems. It was a sizable deal valued at $2.22 billion in cash. Investors took the news in stride and volume was high around the announcement. That M&A activity comes after the completion of a deal to buy Fiix Inc., in January.
Outlier Analysis
ROK usually reports Q3 results from Nov. 6-12 with a Tuesday or Wednesday trend.
- July 28: Wall Street Horizon set an unconfirmed Q3 earnings date of Nov. 9 BMO based on the historical trend.
- Oct. 19: ROK put out a press release stating it would report earlier than anticipated—Nov. 2 BMO.
- Oct. 19: Wall Street Horizon promptly notified clients of the new confirmed earnings date. The earlier-than-expected earnings date resulted in a –3.5 Z-score.
After a pair of acquisitions and ahead of an important Investor Day, traders should be alert to the possibility of unusual news in the Nov. 2 report and stock price volatility.
Earnings Revision
Before powering down this week’s Event Data Outlook, let’s dive into an earnings revision at Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE:GNRC) in the industrials sector. Unfortunately for many around the world, Generac has become a household name. Generac designs and manufactures standby and portable generators. It’s the go-to product suite when the lights go out both at home and for businesses.
Industry Dominance And Innovation
Generac has a commanding 80% market share in North America. An area of growth for the company is recent investment activity in backup solar energy storage. With constant innovation and industry-leading products, it’s little wonder that its stock price is at an all-time high.
International Power Market Troubles
Looking ahead, energy market turmoil in Asia and parts of Europe could be yet another boon. The fear of losing power during the winter months might lead to increased generator sales outside of North America. Perhaps investors are pricing in that notion considering the nearly 20% stock price rally already this month.
Figure 3: Generac Stock Price History (1-Year)
Revision Analysis
GNRC has historically reported Q3 results between Oct. 26-Nov. 1 with a Wednesday-Thursday trend (occasionally on Tuesday).
- Sept. 27: Wall Street Horizon set a confirmed earnings date of Oct. 27 BMO after receiving direct communication from the company's IR department. We then set a Confirmed earnings date of Oct. 27 BMO.
- Oct. 19 – GNRC issued a press release stating it would report Q3 results later than usual—on Nov. 2 BMO. The reconfirmed date is 6 days later than first scheduled, resulting in a Z-score of 1.39.
Conclusion
Earnings season is already off to a hot start with another high EPS beat rate among S&P 500 firms that have reported. Investors like what they see as many equity indices are once again near all-time highs. Volatility can strike at any time, though. A single poor earnings report can send a stock dropping while unexpected news can send the short-sellers scurrying for cover. The solution is to have the latest and most accurate corporate event data at your fingertips.
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