Tuesday was a tough day on Wall Street, as investors got spooked by trends suggesting inflation could be around the corner. Market participants don't want to see anything from the economy that would cause the Federal Reserve to boost rates quickly, and that was especially painful for growth-stock investors in the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 0.93%).
Yet even as the market ran into some difficulties, a couple of companies wowed investors with their latest earnings results. Camping World Holdings (CWH 0.31%) and Gartner (IT 0.93%) might not seem to have a lot in common, but both are ready for their respective customers to hit the road and get back to business as normal after a tough year dealing with the pandemic.
How the market fared on Tuesday
Markets fell early in the day but then managed to claw back ground in the afternoon hours. By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 0.44%) actually managed to return to positive territory, but the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.71%) remained solidly lower on the day.
|
Index |
Percentage Change |
Point Change |
|---|---|---|
|
Dow |
+0.06% |
+20 |
|
S&P 500 |
(0.67%) |
(28) |
|
Nasdaq Composite |
(1.88%) |
(262) |
Data source: Yahoo! Finance.
Camping World hits the gas
Shares of Camping World Holdings jumped more than 10% on Tuesday. The RV and outdoors retailer saw a huge rebound from tough performance a year ago.
Revenue for Camping World surged more than 50%, with strength nearly across the board. New RV sales jumped 65% as consumers prepared themselves to hit the road with their own ready-made accommodations, and used RV revenue was up 42% year over year. Ancillary products and services were up 46%. Camping World reversed a loss in the year-ago period with net income of $147 million, working out to $1.40 per share in earnings on an adjusted basis.
Image source: Camping World.
Camping World also gave favorable comments about the future. It boosted its guidance for adjusted pre-tax operating earnings by roughly $125 million, expecting a range of between $770 million and $810 million for the full 2021 fiscal year.
Camping World is looking to take advantage of pent-up demand for travel by offering safer alternatives to hotel stays. With the stock already having posted amazing gains over the past year, today's rise shows just how far Camping World has come.
Gartner looks to bring people together again
Gartner fared even better on Tuesday, with its stock climbing 14%. The IT consulting company reported strong results in its first-quarter numbers, and investors were pleased with what they saw.
Gartner's revenue didn't see quite the same bump as Camping World, but bottom-line gains were equally impressive. Sales were up 8% from the year-ago quarter, and that helped adjusted earnings rise by 67% to $2 per share. Gartner saw strength in just about all of its key performance metrics, including contract value, operating earnings, and free cash flow.
One area where Gartner expects to post a massive recovery in 2021 is conferences. After having to suspend in-person gatherings throughout the pandemic, Gartner has a growing slate of events planned for the latter part of 2021 and beyond. With many business travelers also itching to get back on the road, the 79% rise in conference-related revenue in the first quarter will probably be just the beginning of a more powerful trend.
Gartner is taking advantage of the digital revolution, and it's in a good position to keep benefiting in 2021. With every part of its business contributing to its effort, Gartner hopes to keep its momentum strong throughout the coming year and beyond.
