Earnings Previews: BlackRock, Delta Air Lines, Taiwan Semiconductor, Walgreens

The three major U.S. equity indexes closed lower again Monday. The Dow Jones industrials ended the day down 0.32%, the S&P 500 closed 0.75% lower and the Nasdaq retreated 1.04%. Seven of 11 sectors closed lower, with energy (2.06%) and tech (1.56%) posting the largest losses. Industrials and consumer staples posted gains of 0.33% and 0.29%, respectively. All three major indexes traded down by less than 1% in Tuesday’s premarket session.

Another rise in COVID-19 cases in China weighed on casino stocks Monday. Wynn Resorts closed down more than 12%. The monthly producer price index (PPI) report is due Wednesday morning, and the consumer price index (CPI) report is due Thursday morning

Before U.S. markets open on Wednesday, consumer staples giant PepsiCo is set to report quarterly results.

Here is a look at four companies set to report quarterly results first thing Thursday morning.

BlackRock

The world’s largest investment management firm, BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK), had about $8.5 trillion in assets under management at the end of the June quarter. That was a decline of 15% since the beginning of the year. The share price has dropped by more than 35% in the past 12 months and 40% for the year to date.

In the third quarter, BlackRock faced welleported pushback from some states over the company’s support for ESG funds. Florida, Texas, Louisiana and West Virginia have all withdrawn assets invested with the firm. The pushback has reduced BlackRock’s support of environmental and social shareholder proposals by about 50% compared to 2021.

Analysts remain bullish on the firm with 10 of 13 giving the shares a Buy or Strong Buy rating and the rest rating the stock a Hold. At a recent price of around $545.50 a share, the upside potential on the shares based on a median price target of $715 is 31%. At the high price target of $860, the upside potential is 57.5%.

Third-quarter 2022 revenue is forecast at $4.28 billion, which would be down 5.5% sequentially and by 15.2% year over year. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) are forecast at $7.73, up 5% sequentially but 29.4% lower year over year. For the full year, analysts anticipate EPS of $32.90, down about 16%, on sales of $17.9 billion, down 7.6%.

BlackRock stock trades at 16.6 times expected 2022 EPS, 14.7 times estimated 2023 earnings of $37.01 and 13.2 times estimated 2024 earnings of $41.20. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $541.33 to $973.16. The low was posted Monday. Blackrock pays an annual dividend of $19.52 (yield of 3.58%). Total return to shareholders for the past 12 months was negative 33.7%.

Delta Air Lines

Since posting a post-pandemic high in April of last year, Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) stock has dropped by about 43%. The shares reached their 52-week high after the airline reported first-quarter results that beat expectations. The joy faded but returned a bit in July after the airline reported second-quarter results. That bounce, too, did not last, and shares sank to their 52-week low last week. Crew shortages continue, as do high fuel costs. The better news is that demand for travel is strong and ticket prices reflect that.

The stock is a solid Buy based on 16 of 19 analysts’ ratings of Buy or Strong Buy. The other three rate the stock at Hold. At a share price of around $29.40, the upside potential based on a median price target of $47 is nearly 60%. At the high price target of $74, the upside potential is about 152%.