3 Stocks To Watch This Week: Nike, Micron Technology, Paychex

Risks to global growth and stubbornly high inflation will continue to remain a key focal point in equity markets this week where there is little sign of reversal after a brutal selling spell to finish the summer.

New signs of slowing global growth hit all sorts of assets last week with renewed selling in both stock and bond markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to its lowest level of the year, the dollar surged, and short-term Treasury yields jumped.

It marked the fourth negative session in a row for stocks, after the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised the benchmark rates by 75 basis points and signaled that it hasn’t yet done with its rate tightening cycle.

As these volatile market conditions prevail, here are three stocks we're following closely—all will be announcing their latest earnings in the days ahead:

1. Nike

The sportswear giant Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) is scheduled to release its first-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings on Thursday, Sept. 29 after the market close. On average, analysts are expecting the sportswear giant to make $0.92 a share profit on sales of $12.29 billion.

Nike Earnings Estimates

Source: InvestingPro+

In the previous quarter, Nike reported quarterly sales which were roughly flat as the world’s largest sportswear company continued to face supply-chain disruptions and tight COVID restrictions in China, its second-largest market.

Executives said they were optimistic for the current fiscal year because production has surpassed pre-pandemic levels and demand remains strong in North America and Europe. They forecast stronger revenue growth for the year started June 1, but said near-term profits would be hurt by elevated shipping costs.

Nike stock, which is down more than 40% this year, closed on Friday at $97.02.

2. Micron Technology

Chipmaker Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) will report fiscal 2022 fourth quarter earnings on Thursday as well, after the close. The storage chip manufacturer is estimated to have made $1.38 in profit per share on $6.81 billion in sales.

Micron Earnings Estimates

Source: InvestingPro+

Micron, one of the top US makers of memory semiconductors, said last month that demand for its products is falling fast and its revenue wouldn't meet prior projections.

The company’s fourth-quarter sales are expected to be at the low end of, or below, its previous guidance as customers reduce their stockpiles of unused chips. There will be “significant sequential declines in revenue and margins,” Micron said in a regulatory filing, following similar warnings from other manufacturers, including Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Intel (NASDAQ:INTC).

Micron stock closed at $50.10 on Friday, down about 46% for the year, underperforming the benchmark Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX), which weakened 39% over the same period.

3. Paychex

Investors will also focus on the latest quarterly earnings from Paychex Inc (NASDAQ:PAYX), scheduled to be released on Wednesday, Sept. 28, ahead of the market open. The Rochester, New York-based payroll processing and human resources company is expected to report $0.9697 a share profit on sales of $1.18 billion.

Paychex, with 710,000 business clients in the US and North Europe, provides deep insight on the health of small and medium companies, their employment and wage trends, as well as impacts by sector.

Paychex Stock Performance Last 10 Years

Source: InvestingPro+

Workers in small businesses continue to benefit from higher wages, according to the latest Paychex report, with average hourly earnings growth increasing to 5.18% in August, matching a record set in May 2022.

The stock closed on Friday at $115.02, down about 15% for the year. Despite this year’s weakness, PAYX is still up over 50% in the past two years, strongly recovering from the pandemic-induced slump.

Disclosure: The writer doesn’t own shares of the companies mentioned in this article.

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