7 Reasons Not to Worry This Week

We have a lot of companies reporting their quarterly results this week, but you don't need to begin nervously gnawing away at your fingernails.  

Last Friday, I singled out seven bellwethers that analysts see posting lower quarterly profits this week, but don't let my gloom get to you. There are plenty of companies going the wrong way on the bottom line, but that's just part of the story. There are also several familiar companies that are growing in this difficult climate.

I was a pessimist on Friday. It's my turn to be the optimist. Here are seven companies that analysts see posting healthier bottom lines this week.

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Clearing the table
Let's start at the top. WD-40 is about so much more than its namesake and versatile "can with a thousand uses." It's also the company behind X-14 bathroom cleaners, Lava industrial soap, and Carpet Fresh odor eliminators. It's probably still easy to see why the flagship WD-40 is a recession-resistant product. A few squirts of WD-40 will be a cheaper maintenance solution than replacing old items around the home.

H.B. Fuller toils in adhesives and specialty chemicals. It's a pretty steady company. H.B. Fuller has increased its quarterly dividend in each of the past 40 years. That kind of streak makes Fuller sticky and adhesive to income investors.

Residential real estate developer KB Home isn't all the way home, but it is projected to post a substantially narrower loss than it did a year earlier. Most of the homebuilders that have reported in recent weeks have done exactly that.

Xyratex has name of an exotic biotech upstart, but it's actually a profitable data-solutions specialist. Well, it's typically profitable, anyway. It had a bit of a rough patch during late 2008 and the first half of 2009, but it's back on track now.

Sealy is the mattress giant. Cash-strapped sleepers are willing to put up with lumpy beds when money is tight, but it gives Sealy that much more upside when the economy bounces back.

Intel is the microprocessor behemoth. Desktop sales are slumping, but laptops, netbooks, and other portable gadgetry are more than making up the difference. As the industry leader in its pivotal niche, it's probably loving the upgrade push for Windows 7-compatible machinery.

Finally, we have JPMorgan Chase on the clock. The banking and credit card bellwether is expected to post a dramatic improvement on its bottom line. There are conspiracy theories surrounding last year's surge in financial stocks, but JPMorgan Chase appears to be earning its way into Mr. Market's good graces.

Cross those fingers, but know the fundamentals
These aren't the only companies expected to post year-over-year gains this week. Several companies have either found ways to grow during the recession or have simply cut enough corners to show improvement on the bottom line.

This doesn't mean investors can rest easy. The bad news is that these companies are expected to post improving results. The optimism is already baked into their share prices, so it's easier for them to slip. But why begin worrying about the companies that we aren't supposed to be worrying about?

If analysts are doing a good job modeling their profit targets, we'll be just fine.

Some other reads to get you through the week:

• 2010 Will Be Another Good Year
• Will Gold Beat Oil in 2010?
• 3 Reasons This Rally Is Doomed