3 Must-Watch Stocks Heading Into Earnings Season
The quiet summer months are over, and the financial markets have gotten back to work after a quiet yet profitable period for stock investors. Now, your attention should turn to earnings reports for the third quarter of 2017, to see whether the fundamental prospects for the companies whose shares you own are still solid. Although earnings season won't begin in earnest until mid-October, there are a few companies that you need to keep an eye on heading into earnings season that will give you some advance notice on what to expect for the rest of the year and beyond. Below, you'll see why Nike (NYSE: NKE), Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST), and Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) are must-watch stocks in the coming weeks.
The athletic apparel space has been strong in recent years, and Nike has taken advantage of its leadership position in the industry to grow. Yet new competitive threats have emerged to challenges the company. The rise of Adidas in North America has posed strategic challenges for Nike, and the difficult retail environment has also weighed on sales of the company's products. Earnings from Foot Locker in August signaled sluggish sales of athletic products, and some investors inferred that overall results from Nike would suffer as a result.
Image source: Nike.
Source: Fool.com