Earnings In Focus: Apr. 18 (ABT, PIR, STLD)

(RTTNews) - Checkout the few notable companies that are scheduled to release quarterly financial results on Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

Global healthcare company Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is slated to release its Q1 report card before the bell on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The company believes its significant number of recent and upcoming product launches position it for strong growth in 2018 and beyond.

Q1 Guidance

* Sees Q1 EPS from cont. ops. Of $0.16 - $0.18. * Projects Adj. EPS of $0.57 - $0.59; Consensus - $0.71/Shr.

* Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters estimate earnings of $0.58 per share and revenue of $7.29 billion.

Year-Ago Numbers:

* Net sales - $6.3 bln * Income from cont. ops. - $386 mln * EPS from cont. ops. - $0.48 * Adj. Income from cont. ops. - $843 mln * Adj. EPS from cont. ops. - $0.22.

FY18 Outlook

* Expects FY18 GAAP EPS from cont. ops. of $1.22 - $1.32. * Sees FY18 Adj. EPS from cont. ops. of $2.80 - $2.90; Consensus - $2.86/Shr. * Forecast organic sales growth of 6% - 7%

Recent Happenings

March 11, Abbott announced new late-breaking clinical trial data from the MOMENTUM 3 clinical study, the left ventricular assist device or LVAD trial to evaluate patients in need of both short-term and long-term support in a single study. The long-term cohort met its primary endpoint with 77.9 percent event free survival (survival free from disabling stroke and device removal due to malfunction), showing superiority over the HeartMate II LVAD at 56.4%.

March 6, Abbott said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its Masters HP15mm rotatable mechanical heart valve. The company claimed it to be the world's smallest mechanical heart valve, which will allow doctors to treat babies and toddlers in need of a mitral or aortic valve replacement.

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Pier 1 Imports Inc. (PIR) is scheduled to report its Q4 financial results after the bell on Wednesday April 18, 2018.

The company has been "building a three-year strategic plan to transform the business, and is beginning to set things in motion with initiatives, testing and select organizational changes in the key areas of sourcing, supply chain, real estate, marketing and promotional effectiveness."

Pier 1 Imports sees compelling go-forward opportunities to broaden the appeal of the brand, maximize the role of stores and e-Commerce, and substantially improve the company's operating margins.

Q4 Outlook

* Sees Q4 EPS of $0.14 - $0.22. * Expects Q4 adj. EPS to be $1.16 - $0.24; Consensus - $0.19/Shr. * Expects net sales growth of 1% - 3%; Consensus - 1.80% growth. * Projects Comp. Sales growth of (3.5%) - (1.5%).

Year-Ago Numbers:

* Net sales - $528.4 mln * GAAP net income - $26.6 mln * GAAP EPS - $0.33. * Adj. income - $27.8 mln * Adj. EPS - $0.34.

FY18 Guidance

* Now sees FY18 GAAP EPS of $0.10 - $0.18 Vs. prior view of $0.31 - $0.41. * Cuts adj. EPS target to $0.17 - $0.25 from prior outlook range of $0.38 - $0.48, reflecting the current tone and volatility of the business in the first two weeks of December.

Fourteen Wall Street analysts have a consensus earnings estimate of $0.20 per share and revenue of $1.82 billion for fiscal 2018.

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Steel Dynamics Inc. (STLD) plans to release its Q1 results after the bell on Wednesday, April 18. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings of $0.92 per share and revenue of $2.58 billion for the quarter.

Q1 Guidance

* Sees Q1 EPS of $0.88 - $0.92. * Excluding non-operational items, STLD expects Q1 to be higher than adjusted Q4 2017 EPS of $0.54.

The company expects Q1 profitability from its steel operations to meaningfully improve in comparison to sequential fourth quarter results, based on higher shipments and metal spread expansion. Average quarterly steel product pricing is expected to increase more than scrap costs, as steel pricing across the platform has been improving throughout the first quarter 2018, supported by strong domestic steel demand.

Based on strong steel demand fundamentals and customer optimism, the company believes this pricing momentum and improving steel consumption will continue during the year. The company also believes that recent U.S. Federal Administration steel trade actions will result in reduced imports.

First quarter 2018 profitability for the company's metals recycling platform is also expected to improve when compared to the previous quarter results, reflecting higher shipments as demand for recycled ferrous material from the domestic steel sector increased in the quarter.

Steel Dynamics expects earnings from its steel fabrication business to decline somewhat from sequential Q4 results, based on seasonally lower shipments. However, demand from the non-residential construction sector remains solid, and the company's seasonally adjusted fabrication order backlog is strong.

Year-Ago Numbers:

Net income - $201 mln EPS - $0.82 Adj. Net income - $106 mln Adj. EPS - $0.43 Net sales - $2.4 bln.