EPS Estimate Cuts Smaller Than Average for S&P 500 In Q2 by John Butters, FactSet
Over the course of the second quarter of 2016, analysts lowered earnings estimates for companies in the S&P 500. The Q2 bottom-up EPS estimate (which is an aggregation of the EPS estimates for all the companies in the index) dropped by 2.6% (to $28.65 from $29.43) during this period. How significant is a 2.6% decline in the bottom-up EPS estimate during a quarter? How does this decrease compare to recent quarters?
EPS Estimate Cuts
During the past year (four quarters), the average decline in the bottom-up EPS estimate during a quarter has been 4.7%. During the past five years (20 quarters), the average decline in the bottom-up EPS estimate during a quarter has been 4.4%. During the past 10 years (40 quarters), the average decline in the bottom-up EPS estimate during a quarter has been 5.5%. Thus, the decline in the bottom-up EPS estimate recorded during the first quarter was smaller than the 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year averages.
Bottom-Up EPS Estimates Shrink
This was the smallest drop in the bottom-up EPS estimate for quarter since Q2 2015 (-2.2%).
As the bottom-up EPS estimate declined during the quarter, the value of the S&P 500 increased during this same time frame. From March 31 through June 30, the value of the index increased by 1.9% (to 2098.86 from 2059.74). This marked the 15th time in the past 20 quarters in which the bottom-up EPS estimate decreased during the quarter while the value of the index increased during the quarter.
Read more about earnings trends in this edition of FactSet Earnings Insight. Visit www.factset.com/earningsinsight to launch the latest report.
Receive stories like this to your inbox as they are published. Subscribe by e-mail and follow @FactSet on Twitter. If you are looking to source FactSet data or analytics in your publication, email [email protected].
© Copyright 2000 – 2016 FactSet Research Systems Inc.
