Another set of earnings and another disappointment for General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) shareholders. Having updated investors on its turnaround strategy on a presentation in November, it was important for CEO John Flannery to demonstrate that a line has been drawn in the sand, notably on its ailing power segment, but the fourth-quarter earnings report failed to do this. That said, there were some good aspects to the earnings report, so let's take a look at four key takeaways -- two bad and two good -- from the presentations.
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The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) stock had an outstanding 2017 as the company benefited from ongoing strength in the industry and internal execution on its aircraft platforms. In order to assess whether the company will have a similarly successful year in 2018, it's useful to look at what went right last year and the trends going into this year. In this vein, here are the five key things to look out for this year.
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So you're looking to buy stocks but aren't sure how to value them or decide which are the most attractive? It's a challenge for most newbie investors because it's hard to sift through the mass of numbers and stats thrown at you. To help you make sense of it all, here's my view on how to think about investing, and a demonstration of a method you can easily use to find suitable stocks for your portfolio.
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In a development that CEO John Flannery described as "deeply disappointing," General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) was forced to take a $6.2 billion after-tax GAAP charge relating to its insurance portfolio. It's not exactly what investors want to hear, after a few tumultuous months involving significant earnings misses and an unconvincing investor updatein November.
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Last year was one to forget for the commercial food equipment industry in the U.S. Earnings reports from multi-industrial companies like Illinois Tool Works and Dover Corp contained references to the softness in sales in 2017, while the message from pure-play food equipment companies like Wellbilt Inc. and The Middleby Corporation was pretty much the same. Is it part of a reversal of a trend, or merely a blip that's creating a buying opportunity in the sector, especially in a stock like Middleby, which has risen recently on hopes of a turnaround? Let's take a closer look.
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Shares in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) have gone up nearly 60% in the last 12 months, but there could be more to come. After a difficult few years operationally, the company looks set for a strong 2018. I think there are three key reasons to like Deere this year. Let's look at why this could be the case.
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Given the kind of year Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) just had -- the stock rose nearly 70% in 2017 as it doubled its full-year earnings expectations -- it will be hard for the company to better it. However, that doesn't mean Caterpillar and its stock can't have another great year. A combination of positive momentum in its end markets and the benefits of substantive cost-cutting have positioned it strongly for 2018, so let's take a closer look at its prospects.
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AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) is delaying issuing third-quarter earnings due to a pending review of its historical accounting, which may or may not have a significant impact on its last three years' results. However, that isn't the only uncertainty created by the statement issued by the company on Jan. 9. Let's take a closer look at AZZ's announcement.
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Given the strength of the recovery in U.S. industrial production, it's reasonable to expect that a highly cyclical industrial supplier like MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) would start to perform strongly. In a sense, that's exactly what's happening, as sales growth is now in the double digits, but on the other hand, the company's margin performance has been somewhat disappointing. Let's take a closer look at the company's recent first-quarter 2018 earnings report.
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By any standards, The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) had an outstanding 2017. The stock's 89% rise is startling for a company of such size and a testimony to how many things went right for the company. I'm going to pick out a few of the highlights of 2017.
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