US Earnings Update: AMEX and IBM
Computer giant IBM announced Q4 earnings well above street estimates but lower revenue numbers pressured the stock price lower.
Big Blue reported non-GAAP earnings per share of $5.01 compared to the consensus figure of $4.88. Revenue for Q4 came in at $21.77 billion versus expectations of $21.66 billion. Cloud platform revenue continued to increase which allowed the firm to beat full-year estimates and reach $13.59 in annual earnings per share.
However, despite beating the the Q4 estimates for revenue, overall revenue growth has now dropped for the 19th consecutive quarter. This negative trajectory for overall earnings growth contributed to the sharp intra-day price reversal in IBM shares.
After trading as high as $171.15 after the headline announcement, shares closed lower on the day at $163.50. The next key technical level is found at the December low near $158.00.
American Express reported Q4 earnings which fell short of analysts’ expectations.
The credit card issuer posted adjusted earnings of 91 cents per share on quarterly revenue of $8.02 billion. The street expected earnings of 98 cents per share on revenue of $7.95 billion. In addition, net income fell 8% on a year-on-year basis to $825 million.
AMEX shares have rallied over 20% since hitting the October low of $60.00. We see the business environment improving for for the firm going into 2017. As such, we would expect to see good technical support in the $67.00 area.
