Healthy foods and healthy planets play bit parts in the week of news that is waiting to happen.
Monday
My, how the time flies. It seemed like it was just weeks ago that BabyUniverse (AMEX:BUN) was just a wee little IPO. Wait a minute. The online baby and maternity retailer is still a market young'n. It did go public earlier this month. Come Monday, it will be time for the young stock to show the market what it's made of with its first quarterly report as a public company. The company's top line has been growing briskly, but investors will be curious to see whether it can top last year's profitability. If not, hey, it wouldn't be the first time that Wall Street threw out the BabyUniverse with the bathwater.
Tuesday
Can there be consistency in the topsy-turvy networking sector? After posting nine straight quarterly losses earlier in the millennium, ADC Telecommunications (NASDAQ:ADCT) will be looking to post its ninth straight quarterly profit with its fiscal third quarter report on Tuesday.
Things have been looking up for ADC lately. Back in April, the stock shot up 17% after the company produced a market-thumping fiscal second quarter. Now we see whether the company can live up to the market's higher expectations.
Wednesday
Fans of organic growth, literally, may be checking out United Natural Foods (NASDAQ:UNFI) on Wednesday. The company is already coming off a strong quarter back in May. As a leading distributor of retail health-food products, the company has usually been a decent stock play on the coattails of the fast-growing Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ:WFMI). United Foods has earned the ride, with sales growing at an annual rate of 18% over the past three years with earnings growth clocking in at a healthy average of 34% a year. How's that for a picture of health?
Thursday
You file your taxes once a year, but leading tax preparation specialist H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) has to file its financials once every quarter. On Thursday, we will get our first glimpse at how fiscal 2006 is shaping up for the company. This is a seasonally weak quarter for H&R Block -- one that stretches from May through July, after April's tax-crunch flurry. However, H&R Block has made some headway in diversifying into other areas, such as mortgage originations. That aspect of the company's model may come back to bite it if the housing market cools off. But if so, H&R Block can always lean on filing your 1040 to end its fiscal year on a high note.
Friday
If you judge by the same theme restaurants that are now a fraction of what they once were -- I'm talking about you, Planet Hollywood -- then Rank Group (NASDAQ:RANKY) is a survivor. The parent company of the Hard Rock Cafe chain has managed to carve a cozy living out of leisure. Rank is also active in gaming worldwide, and that includes casinos and bingo parlors. Rank even is a leader in film services and DVD replication and distribution. The British company will wrap up the week with its earnings report. Will it be so good that Rank will frame the income statement and hang it between an Eric Clapton guitar and a Flea bass? It's unlikely, though "Wall Street Cafe" can't be too far away from becoming a bona fide eatery concept.
Want to learn more about the companies waiting to report earnings this week? Check out:
- 4 Stocks That Pay You
- ADC Telecom's Surprise
- United Natural Foods on the Go
- H&R Cuts Quite the Figures
- Attack of the Theme Restaurants
Until next week, I remain,
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz doesn't panic if he can't go organic. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story. T he 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.
