Old cars, new delivery trucks, and numbered pingpong balls will play bit parts in the week that lies ahead. Let's take a closer look.
Monday
You can't catch a whiff of that new-car smell from used-car dealer CarMax (NYSE:KMX), but that doesn't mean you're looking at a lemon, either. The company closed out fiscal 2005 back in February in decent shape. Sales rose by 14% on the year. Yes, profits dipped slightly over those 12 months, but they actually revved 32% higher in the February quarter itself.
Keys in hand, CarMax kicks off the new trading week with its first quarterly report of fiscal 2006. Back in March, the company indicated that it was probably good for earnings per share to come in between $1.20 and $1.30. That prices the stock at 20 times forward earnings, and that's a bit rich, given the company's slower growth rate. Then again, maybe the previous quarter was the sign of racing stripes yet to come.
Tuesday
Even if you've never heard of Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI), there's a pretty fair chance that you've dined at one of its casual concepts. Olive Garden? Red Lobster? Bahama Breeze? They're all the handiwork of Darden.
While the company has struggled lately with Red Lobster, it grew profits in the most recent quarter by 20% as operating margins improved despite a pesky uptick in commodity prices. Its young BBQ eatery, Smokey Bones, has also been serving the company well. What else is on the Darden menu? We'll all find out come Tuesday.
Wednesday
Life has been pretty good for lottery facilitator GTECH Holdings (NYSE:GTK) as it runs get-rich sweepstakes all over the world. Lotteries may be bad bets for ticket buyers, but they're not for GTECH. How profitable is the company? Profits rose by 29% this past fiscal year, while revenues topped the billion-dollar mark. Investors can't be complaining as the company heads into its May quarter's report on Wednesday. GTECH's shares have soared by 32% since being singled out in our Inside Value newsletter service.
Thursday
What do eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO), and FedEx (NYSE:FDX) have in common? Well, other than being Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendations, they're also among the few special companies that have made the transition from proper noun to verb. When you get asked to FedEx something, you know exactly what you need to do.
The delivery giant will take a break from its hectic route to provide its shareholders with its latest quarterly numbers on Thursday. With margins expanding at three of its most important segments this past quarter, hopes are running high for FedEx to deliver yet another strong quarter. If not? Well, verbs can also morph into expletives.
Friday
If you're into investing from A to Z, how about AZZ (NYSE:AZZ)? The company that once operated as Aztec Manufacturing hasn't paid out a dividend since 2001, though it has been consistently profitable. Will dividends return? Is another corporate name change in the works? The electrical-equipment and galvanizing specialist closes out the week with its fiscal first-quarter financials. Will you be tuning in? AZZ if.
Want to learn more about the companies waiting to report earnings this week? Check out:
- Story Time at CarMax
- BBQ Sizzles, Fish Fizzles
- GTECH-ing Time Bomb
- I'd Like to Buy a Verb
- FedEx Climbing
Until next week, I remain,
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz aspires to be a verb one day. The good kind. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.
