Caterpillar warns on quarterly earnings, sales results

Caterpillar Inc. on Thursday warned that first-quarter sales and earnings will come in below expectations set by Wall Street analysts. The heavy-equipment supplier in a regulatory filing said first-quarter sales would come in between $9.3 billion and $9.4 billion. That’s lower than the $10.4 billion in revenue projected in a FactSet survey of analysts. Caterpillar foresees per-share earnings excluding restructuring costs of 65 cents to 70 cents a share. Analysts were looking for 95 cents a share. The company projects net profit of 50 cents to 55 cents a share. Stock in Caterpillar dropped 3.8% to $71.50 in heavy premarket volume.

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Barrick Gold names Catherine Raw as next CFO

Barrick Gold Corp. said late Wednesday its financial chief, Shaun Usmar, is leaving the company to lead a mining industry investment firm backed by Elliot Management. Succeeding Usmar as chief financial officer is Catherine Raw, Barrick’s current executive vice president of business performance. The transition will take place following the company’s April 26 shareholder meeting, Barrick said.

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Guess shares sink in after-hours trading on weak outlook

Guess Inc. shares fell 9.8% in after-hours trading after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that missed estimates and the company forecast losses in the first quarter. The apparel, accessories and consumer products company said it had net income of $47.8 million, or 57 cents per share, in the fourth quarter 2016, down from $53.9 million, or 63 cents per share, for the same period last year. The FactSet consensus was 58 cents. The company said it saw a 30% negative currency impact. Revenue for the quarter totaled $658.3 million, down from $696.7 million last year, but beating the FactSet consensus of $657 million. Asia saw the biggest revenue decline at 18%, while the Americas retail business saw the smallest, with a 3% decline. Guess sees a first quarter loss between 17 cents and 20 cents per share, with a currency headwind of 4 cents per share. Revenues are expected to fall between 0.5% and 1.5% on a constant currency basis, and between 2.5% and 3.5% including currency headwinds. The FactSet consensus is for first-quarter earnings of 3 cents per share and revenue totaling $466 million. Guess shares are up 13% for the year so far while the S&P 500 is down 0.8% for the same period. Guess shares closed down 1.8% on Wednesday at $21.32.

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FedEx shares gain as quarterly earnings beat Wall Street’s expectations

Shares of FedEx Corp. gained in Wednesday’s extended session after the package-delivery giant posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings. FedEx reported fiscal third-quarter earnings fell to $507 million, or $1.84 a share, from $628 million, or $2.18 a share, a year ago. On an adjusted basis, the company earned $2.51 a share. Revenue rose to $12.7 billion versus $11.7 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had projected earnings of $2.35 a share on revenue of $12.36 billion. FedEx credited some of its profit increase to positive impact from lower oil prices and tightened its fiscal 2016 earnings outlook to $10.70 to $10.90 from a range of $10.40 to $10.90. “We now expect our fiscal 2016 adjusted earnings to be up 20% to 22% over last year,” said Alan Graf, FedEx’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, in a statement. Shares rose 4.8% in after-hours trading.

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Williams-Sonoma shares drop after outlook, earnings miss

Williams-Sonoma Inc. shares dropped in the extended session Wednesday after the high-end home furnishings retailer’s outlook and quarterly results fell short of Wall Street estimates. Williams-Sonoma shares fell 6.4% to $55.65 after hours. The company forecast adjusted first-quarter earnings of 48 cents to 52 cents a share on revenue of $1.07 billion to $1.09 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had estimated earnings of 55 cents a share on revenue of $1.1 billion. Williams-Sonoma reported fourth-quarter earnings of $1.55 a share on revenue of $1.59 billion. Analysts had expected earnings of $1.58 a share on revenue of $1.62 billion.

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