Chicago, IL – February 6, 2025 – Zacks Equity Research shares Kratos Defense & Security Solutions KTOS as the Bull of the Day and GSK PLC GSK as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR, International Business Machines Corp. IBM and Cisco Systems, Inc. CSCO.
Here is a synopsis of all five stocks.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) that has a F for Value and a F for Growth. The company is a supplier of mission critical products and services for the US national security. The company has beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last 15 quarters. Let’s explore more about why this stock is the Bull of the Day.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. engages in the provision of mission critical products, services and solutions for United States national security priorities. It operates through the Kratos Government Solutions (KGS) and Unmanned Systems (US) segments. The KGS segment consists of an aggregation of KGS operating segments, including microwave electronic products, space, satellite and cyber, training solutions. The US segment refers to the unmanned aerial, unmanned ground, unmanned seaborne and related command, control and communications system businesses. The company was founded on December 19, 1994, and is headquartered in Round Rock, TX.
When I look at a stock, the first thing I do is look to see if the company is beating the number. This tells me right away where the market’s expectations have been for the company and how management has communicated to the market. A stock that consistently beats has management communicating expectations to Wall Street that can be achieved. That is what you want to see.
Kratos Defense & Securityhas a good earnings history with the company topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last 15 quarters.
The most recent earnings print saw the company posted EPS of 44 cents when the consensus was at 8 cents. That 3 cent beat translates into a positive earnings surprise of 37.5%
Over the last four quarters the average earnings surprise works out to be 70.6%.
Earnings estimate revisions is what the Zacks Rank is all about.
Estimates are moving higher for Kratos Defense & Security Solutions.
Following the recent beat, the estimates for this quarter have held still at $0.09.
Next quarter is also stagnant at $0.13
The full year 2024 estimate at $0.46.
Next year increased from $0.57 to $0.59.
All of the estimate moves have come in the last 60 days.
I see revenue in 2024 will come in around $1.14B which will end up being growth of about 10%.
2025 is calling for sales of $1.2B which represents 12.2% growth.
The forward PE stands at 58x which is a little high given the lack of growth in the most recent earnings release. The price to book multiple of 3.9x is low enough to keep the value oriented investors interested in this stock. Price to sales comes in at 4.6x.
Margins have continued to inch higher and as they do, EPS will grow right along with it if there is revenue growth.
GSK PLC is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) after the company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate when the last reported. The company is in the healthcare space and there has been a lot of press around changes that the new Trump Administration will be brining. This article will look at why this stock is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) as it is the Bear of the Day.
GSK Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the Commercial Operations, and Research and Development segments. The Commercial Operations segment has three product groups of specialty medicines, vaccines, and general medicines. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom.
When I look at a stock, the first thing I do is look to see if the company is beating the number. This tells me right away where the market’s expectations have been for the company and how management has communicated to the market. A stock that consistently beats has management communicating expectations to Wall Street that can be achieved. That is what you want to see.
In the case of Ashland Inc., I see three beats and one miss of the Zacks Consensus Estimate over the last year. The most recent quarter was a miss with the company posting $1.26 when the consensus was calling for $1.33. This alone does not make the stock a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and it doesn’t make it a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) either.
The Zacks Rank does care about the earnings history, but it is much more heavily influenced by the movement of earnings estimates.
The Zacks Rank tells us which stocks are seeing earnings estimates move higher or in this case lower. For HII I see annual estimates moving lower of late.
The current fiscal year consensus number moved lower from $4.77 to $4.33 over the last 60 days.
The next year has moved from $5.74 to $5.31 over the last 60 days.
Negative movement in earnings estimates like that is why this stock is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
It should be noted that a lot of stocks in the Zacks universe are seeing negative earnings estimate revisions. That means that the stocks that are seeing small but negative earnings estimate revisions are falling to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
Palantir Technologies Inc. is an eminent player in the artificial intelligence (AI) segment that provides platforms like Gotham and Foundry, which help commercial and government customers optimally use data to solve problems competently.
Palantir’s initiatives to integrate innovative AI and machine learning functionalities in its platform have helped the company expand its business. Its share prices have surged 371.6% over the past year, way more than the Technology Services industry’s gain of 67%. Its shares, in particular, soared 24% on Tuesday after the company posted blowout fourth-quarter earnings results fueled by the boom in AI.
Palantir’s recent rapid growth has brought it close to the market capitalizations of International Business Machines Corp. and Cisco Systems, Inc. However, is it now too late to buy the PLTR stock? Let’s evaluate its potential for your portfolio this year –
Palantir’s revenues in the fourth quarter were $828 million, up 36% from a year ago, exceeding the estimated $782 million. Revenues were mostly fueled by the U.S. commercial segment, which saw revenues jump 64% year over year (YoY). Revenues from the U.S. government segment also climbed 45% YoY.
The company’s adjusted earnings per share (EPS) were $0.14 for the fourth quarter, surpassing the estimated $0.11, marking a 75% increase YoY. Customer metrics drove such strong results for the company. In the fourth quarter, an uptick in U.S. commercial clients helped Palantir’s customer count jump 43% YoY, while the company was able to ink 129 deals worth a minimum of $1 million.
Palantir’s 2025 revenue guidance is $3.75 billion, a 31% YoY increase, with U.S. commercial revenues projected to rise by 54%, surpassing management’s forecast of 50% growth in the last quarter. For the first quarter, revenues are estimated to be $862 million, suggesting 36% YoY growth. Palantir’s guidance for the first quarter and the full year crushed Wall Street expectations.
While the Palantir stock got a boost from its stellar fourth-quarter results, the encouraging revenue guidance indicates that management has confidence in its growth strategies and the PLTR stock has more room to run. CEO Alex Karp’s optimistic outlook highlights the shift to a new growth phase, emphasizing sustained acceleration.
Palantir is well-positioned for strong growth driven by high demand for the company’s Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), which is capable of automating tasks beyond human capability. Moreover, in the fourth quarter, Palantir’s remaining performance obligation (RPO) exceeded present revenue growth, indicating room for further expansion.
From a technical perspective, Palantir’s shares are currently trading above both the short-term 50-day moving average (DMA) and long-term 200 DMA, signaling a bullish trend.
Additionally, if Palantir secures a niche in the growing generative AI market, the PLTR stock can grow much higher in the next decade. With an expected earnings growth rate of 17.1% this year, it’s a timely opportunity to consider placing bets on PLTR stock. Palantir, rightfully, has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.
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