In the latest trading session, StoneCo Ltd. (STNE) closed at $11.11, marking a -1.68% move from the previous day. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.28%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.15%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.15%.

The company's stock has dropped by 18.94% in the past month, falling short of the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 0.02% and the S&P 500's gain of 2%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of StoneCo Ltd. in its upcoming release. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $0.29, reflecting a 7.41% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $594.78 million, down 7.56% from the year-ago period.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $1.10 per share and a revenue of $2.42 billion, representing changes of +13.4% and +0.24%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for StoneCo Ltd. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been no change in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Right now, StoneCo Ltd. possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

With respect to valuation, StoneCo Ltd. is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 10.3. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 31.32, so one might conclude that StoneCo Ltd. is trading at a discount comparatively.

Also, we should mention that STNE has a PEG ratio of 0.4. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Internet - Software industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.09.

The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 75, which puts it in the top 30% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.

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