With the market showing more volatility and turnover than some CEO offices these days, it's easy to cancel that lunch date with Mr. Market.
I went over a few companies going the wrong way on Friday, projected to post lower quarterly earnings this week than they did a year ago.
Thankfully, they're the exceptions and not the rule. Let's go over some publicly traded companies that are expected to stand tall this week by posting year-over-year improvement on the bottom line.
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Company
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Latest Quarter EPS (Estimated)
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Year-Ago Quarter EPS
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My Watchlist
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Accenture (NYSE: ACN )
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$0.89
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$0.66
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Add
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Shengkai (Nasdaq: VALV )
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$0.23
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($0.52)
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American Greetings (NYSE: AM )
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$0.25
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$0.21
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Jabil Circuit (NYSE: JBL )
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$0.56
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$0.52
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Paychex (Nasdaq: PAYX )
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$0.38
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$0.36
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Walgreen (NYSE: WAG )
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$0.55
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$0.49
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Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO )
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$0.63
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$0.56
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Source: Thomson Reuters.
Clearing the table
Let's start at the top with Accenture.
The management consulting giant is doing a good job of managing its bottom line. Analysts see Accenture earning $0.89 a share in its latest quarter, comfortably ahead of the $0.66 a share it rang up a year earlier.
Shengkai Innovations makes ceramic valves in China. The company has been rocked lately, since it has taken a long time to post its financials for its quarter that ended in June. Earlier this month Shengkai revealed that it will be moving away from its low-end electric power markets, emphasizing high-end oil and chemical markets instead.
American Greetings continues to post earnings growth, defying the notion that online greetings are killing the markets for traditional greeting cards and stationery items. American Greetings has managed to post year-over-year gains on the bottom line in six of the past nine quarters.
Jabil is a contract manufacturer for electronics in various segments. Wall Street isn't expecting much of a bottom-line boost in tomorrow's report, but keep in mind that Jabil has topped analyst profit targets in each of the past 10 quarters.
Paychex is the human resources behemoth that does more than its misspelled paycheck-processing moniker suggests. Earnings growth there should bode well for Corporate America, one would think. Paychex's customer base is primarily small- and medium-sized businesses, so it's a strong pulse taker.
Walgreen is the drugstore giant that has sidestepped the leveraging and diversification moves that have tripped up its peers.
Family Dollar seems like a fairly obvious winner in the climate, but let's not be so quick to cast all discounters under the same light. The country's largest discount department store chain -- the world's largest retailer -- has posted nine consecutive quarters of negative same-store sales.
In other words, giving people more bang for their buck isn't a clear-cut winning strategy these days.
Cross those fingers, but know the fundamentals
Investors in these seven stocks have a right to be excited. They are all improving their financial situations. They are worthy of the gains that the market rally has bestowed upon them over the past year.
I wouldn't be uncomfortable owning any of these companies. They're doing the right thing, regardless of Mr. Market's mood swings.
The expectations may be high, but these seven stocks wouldn't have it any other way.
Are you a buyer or a seller of stocks these days? Share your strategy in the comment box below.
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