John Lynch Chief Investment Strategist, LPL Financial
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Earnings growth slowed in the fourth quarter but was still solid. With two-thirds of S&P 500 Index companies having reported results so far, corporate America has delivered solid earnings growth—in the mid-to-high teens—for the quarter. However, slowing global growth and trade tensions have challenged the outlook, setting up slower earnings gains in the coming year. This week we provide key takeaways from fourth quarter earnings season, and update our 2019 earnings outlook.
THE NUMBERS
Year-over-year earnings growth for the fourth quarter is tracking near 17%, one percentage point above the growth rate reflected in year-end estimates (source: Refinitiv, formerly Thomson Reuters). This is solid growth, but below the 25% pace of the prior three quarters [Figure 1]. Tax cuts boosted earnings growth by 7–8 percentage points. Revenues (which are not impacted by the tax cuts) are tracking to a healthy 6% increase, similar to prior expectations.
Companies in the communication services, energy, and industrials sectors produced the most upside to prior estimates. Energy and communication services, in that order, made the biggest contributions to earnings growth. Upside was limited by the financials and technology sectors, which came up short.
Forward-looking guidance has been tepid overall during reporting season, mostly because of the uncertainty surrounding the U.S.-China trade dispute and slower growth overseas. U.S.-focused companies have delivered stronger revenue and earnings growth than more global companies, according to analysis by FactSet, while consensus S&P 500 earnings estimates for the first quarter were cut by an above-average 4.6% in January, as shown in Figure 2. Excluding energy, though, the reduction has been typical.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Our key takeaways from the quarterly results received so far are:
THE OUTLOOK
Earnings growth will likely slow in 2019 as the one-year anniversary of the tax cuts passes. Still, we think that S&P 500 companies will be able to at least deliver mid-single-digit earnings growth in 2019 due to the following:
Solid domestic economic growth. Our forecast is for U.S. GDP growth of 2.5–2.75% in 2019, supported by increased consumer spending, business investment, and government spending. The booming January jobs report, including steadily rising wages, reaffirms the strength of the consumer. January readings of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) surveys on manufacturing and services, both in the 56–57 range, signal near-term earnings gains.