Markets are steady this morning as investors digest Federal Reserve’s decision to keep rates unchanged and look forward to Bank of Japan’s two-day meeting. Meanwhile, companies continue to post their latest earnings reports.
Among the major stocks that are making moves this morning on the back of their quarterly results are Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Dow Chemical Co (NYSE:DOW), Barrick Gold Corporation (USA) (NYSE:ABX), Groupon Inc (NASDAQ:GRPN) and Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM). Let’s examine the financial results of these companies in more detail and take a look at the hedge fund sentiment towards them.
Through extensive research, we have determined that the due diligence that hedge funds employ, as well as their long-term focus makes them perfect targets to emulate. However, the results of our analysis have also showed that the small-cap picks of these funds can generate much better returns, with the 15 most popular small-cap stocks beating the market by an average of 95 basis points per month (read more details here).
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Facebook Blew Past Street’s Estimates
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s stock is in the green this morning after the company powered above second-quarter estimates. The social media giant earned $0.97 a share, versus analysts estimates of $0.82, while revenue in the quarter totaled $6.44 billion, showing a 59% growth year-over-year, and topping the estimates of $6.02 billion. Facebook’s ad revenue in the quarter was a whopping $6.24 billion, crushing the Street’s prediction of $5.8 billion. Mobile ad revenue accounted for about 84% of the total ad revenue. Facebooks CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement that Facebook is building a community and focusing on relevant and engaging ads. Facebook’s monthly active users hit 1.71 billion during the quarter, versus 1.48 billion a year earlier. Andreas Halvorsen’s Viking Global owns more than 20.13 million shares of the company as of the end of March.
Follow Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
Follow Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
Dow Chemical Beats Estimates
Shares of Dow Chemical Co (NYSE:DOW) have inched up today after the company posted second-quarter EPS of $0.95, better than the analysts’ forecasts of $0.85. Revenue of $12 billion also surpassed the estimated $11.24 billion. In a statement, Dow Chemical’s CEO Andrew Liveris said the company continues to see higher demand from North America, whereas Latin America is showing signs of improvement. Mr. Liveris added that Dow Chemical has a “resilient” business portfolio, strategic investments and self-help productivity actions to endure uncertainties of the market. A total of 44 funds from our database owned shares of Dow Chemical Co (NYSE:DOW) at the end of the first quarter.
Follow Dow Chemical (Old Filings) (INDEXDJX:DOW)
Follow Dow Chemical (Old Filings) (INDEXDJX:DOW)
On the next page, we will discuss earnings reports and stock activity of Barrick Gold Corporation, Groupon and Whole Foods Market.
