US stocks fell again after the market open on Monday morning, with high inflation continuing to fuel investors’ nightmares. American stocks had another shocker last week as soaring fuel prices added to concerns about the rapidly increasing cost of living.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, with some of the companies set to release earnings this week having performed remarkably resiliently in what has been a very challenging year.
Here are this week’s earnings to look out for:
Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL)
The big news for this business recently has been the completion of its $28bn acquisition of medical records company Cerner. The company’s board chairman and chief technology officer, Larry Ellison, has said the aim is to build a nationwide healthcare records database for all of the US, so that today’s “fragmented” landscape can be left behind.
It might be a bit early for a significant update on Oracle’s goals with Cerner, but its still worth checking out the company’s earnings releases for extra information about how this tech giant is aiming to revolutionize healthcare data.
Watch out for Oracle’s earnings on Monday evening.
Trip.com Group Ltd (NASDAQ: TCOM)
Most travel companies were absolutely walloped by the pandemic. China’s Trip.com falls squarely in this category despite staging a brief share price recovery in Spring 2021. Indeed, China suffered a huge spike in Covid-19 cases in the company’s latest quarter, so this next update may make for grim reading.
However, the business is focusing on rebuilding in the Chinese market, where it holds a leading position. If successful, this will put the company in a fantastic position when Chinese travel restrictions are lifted. Consumers are as hungry as ever for travel after so much time spent locked away indoors. This is something we’ve seen over recent weeks in North America and Europe.
It’s not wholly reliant on Chinese customers though, with Western travellers likely to be more familiar with the company’s SkyScanner business, which it acquired back in 2016 and will help the business tick along.
Expect the company’s update on Tuesday.
Kroger Co (NYSE: KR)
Retail specialists Kroger will unveil their first quarter earnings this week, following a buoyant update back in early March. The company, which operates hypermarkets, supermarkets, superstores, department stores and jewellery stores across 35 states, achieved a record performance in 2021 after growing its digital footprint.
Now, in the first quarter update of its new fiscal year, investors will be keen to find out if the company remains positive in its outlook. Supply chain and staffing challenges could pose a risk to the business, but inflationary pressures pushing consumers’ focus onto consumer essentials could work out well for the business.
Look out for sales growth and a strong showing from the business’ e-commerce operations, though note that any downward adjustment of outlook is likely to send the company’s well performing share price (up by more than 10% across the year to date!) lower.
Thursday morning will herald the arrival of Kroger’s next update.
Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE)
The company that made Photoshop famous is set to update investors on its second quarter performance this week, and there are a number of key things to look out for.
First up is the business’ growth trajectory, which seems to have slowed. In its first quarter earnings the company announced that sales had increased by 17% compared to the same period 12 months prior. This is still solid growth, but a decline from the 21% increase seen in the previous quarter.
Given the current grim economic climate, some slowdown is perhaps to be expected. However, too severe a slowdown could send investors running for the hills.
Another thing to keep an eye out for is any hints about the business’ pricing structure. The software giant is planning on switching things up in the pricing of its creative suite for the first time since 2017, with this starting to affect figures in the second half of the year.
Look out for Adobe’s earnings after the close of trading on Thursday.