S&P 500 investors are waiting for banner profit reports to kick off this week. And some companies' profit gains are likely to be more enormous than others.
Analysts expect 10 S&P 500 companies, including health care Zimmer Biomet, energy firm Freeport-McMoRan and consumer discretionary firm Chipotle Mexican Grill, to post massive adjusted profit per share growth of 1,000% or much more for the second quarter. And that would make these companies S&P 500 standouts in a quarter already expected to be a massive one for profit growth, says an Investor's Business Daily analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and MarketSmith.
"We ran out of superlatives to describe corporate America's stunning performance during first-quarter earnings season," said Jeff Buchbinder, equity strategist at LPL Financial. "So what will companies do for an encore? We expect more good news this quarter as more of the economy has opened up, while also acknowledging the second quarter will almost certainly end up being the peak in earnings growth for this cycle."
Profit reports kick off this week with the banks. And what a peak it'll be for S&P 50o profit.
S&P 500 Headed To Amazing Quarterly Profit
Companies in the S&P 500 are expected to post moonshot quarterly profit growth of 64% in the second quarter, says John Butters, earnings analyst at FactSet. If that's right, it would be the largest quarterly profit posted by the S&P 500 in more than a decade, Butters says.
Profits are soaring back as the U.S. economy is reopening, jobs are plentiful and companies and consumers have lots of money to spend. And the speed of the economy's rebound surprised most people. Analysts bumped up their profit forecasts for the quarter 7.2% since the end of March through June 30. That's the largest upward profit growth forecast boost since FactSet has tracked it going back to 2002, Butters says.
Skeptics might think this is just wishful thinking. But early indications show there's reason to be optimistic. Already 66 S&P 500 companies, also a record, said second-quarter profit will top their earlier targets.
So how you stand out when most companies' profits are booming? Just ask 10 S&P 500 outliers.
Putting Up 1,000% Or More Profit Growth
Scanning the S&P 500, Zimmer Biomet is the company to beat in terms of profit growth. Analysts think it will earn $1.86 a share on an adjusted basis in the second quarter. That's up more than 3,600% from what it earned in the same period a year ago.
The company makes a variety of orthopedic products like hip and knee replacements. Demand for such goods is expected to be strong as many people now get the optional procedures they put off during the pandemic. Zimmer Biomet reports its second quarter profit on Aug. 3. Shares are only up 3.8% this year so far.
Energy, though, is an area where profits and share prices are booming. Shares of copper miner Freeport-McMoRan are up more than 40% as investors anticipate an amazing quarter for profits. Analysts are calling for the company to earn nearly 74 cents a share in the second quarter, up more than 2,350% from the same year-ago period. Such strong fundamentals paired with a rising stock price explain the lofty 93 IBD Composite Rating. The company reports on July 22.
And when it comes to a high Composite Rating, look at Chipotle. The burrito chain sports a near perfect IBD Composite Rating of 98. Shares are up 16.5% this year, roughly in line with the S&P 500. But get ready for a hot-red quarter of profit growth. Analysts think it will report second-quarter profit growth of more than 1,517% or $6.47 a share. Chipotle reports on July 20.
So while it's going to be a powerful period of growth for the S&P 500, it's still possible to beat the average.
A Bonanza Of Profit Is Coming
Analysts see 1,000% or more profit growth from these S&P 500 companies in the second quarter
| Company | Ticker | Q2 EPS % Ch. | Primary Sector | Composite Rating | % stock YTD ch. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zimmer Biomet | 3,620.0% | Health Care | 39 | 3.8% | |
| Freeport-McMoRan | 2,353.3% | Materials | 93 | 40.4% | |
| Hasbro | 2,285.0% | Consumer Discretionary | 67 | 4.9% | |
| Synchrony Financial | 2,150.0% | Financials | 88 | 40.4% | |
| W. R. Berkley | 1,525.0% | Financials | 71 | 14.8% | |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | 1,517.5% | Consumer Discretionary | 98 | 16.5% | |
| Ross Stores | 1,460.0% | Consumer Discretionary | 72 | 1.1% | |
| Diamondback Energy | 1,306.7% | Energy | 97 | 85.6% | |
| Nucor | 1,179.6% | Materials | 98 | 83.8% | |
| Weyerhaeuser | 1,109.1% | Real Estate | 87 | 6.3% |