Q4 Earnings Season Scorecard
We are off to a good start in the Q4 earnings season, with an above average proportion of companies beating EPS and revenues estimates, notable momentum on the revenue front. Importantly, estimates for the current period (2018 Q1) are going up, reflecting the impact of tax cuts.
Including all of this morning’s results, we now have Q4 results from 44 S&P 500 members that combined account for 13.7% of the index’s total market capitalization. Total earnings for these companies are up +11.4% from the same period last year on +7.5% higher revenues, with 77.3% beating EPS and revenue estimates.
The comparison charts below compare results from these 44 index members with what these same companies had reported in other recent periods.
Estimates for 2018 Q1 are going up in a significant way as a result of the impact of tax law changes, as the chart below shows.
Note: Sheraz Mian regularly provides earnings analysis on Zacks.com and appears frequently in the print and electronic media. In addition to this Earnings Preview article, he publishes the more