eBay EBAY is set to report second-quarter 2020 results on Jul 28. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 4.1%.

The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in all the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 6.2%.

For the second quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has increased 1.9% to $1.05 per share over the past 30 days. This indicates growth of 54.4% from the year-ago reported figure.

The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $2.79 billion, implying growth of 3.99% from the year-ago reported figure.

Let’s see how things have shaped up for this announcement.

Factors to Note

eBay recently stated that global gross merchandise volume was strong in April, stretching through May. Additionally, the company’s number of active buyers increased. It added 6 million active buyers during the months of April and May.

Moreover, eBay’s verticals namely Home & Garden, Electronics, Fashion, Auto Parts and Collectibles have been seeing strong demand. The increased demand is being driven by a number of factors like organic traffic, enhanced marketing and higher conversions on its platform.

These factors are expected to have aided the top line in the to-be-reported quarter.

In addition, eBay’s sales are expected to have improved in the quarter to be reported owing to growth in online consumer spending due to broad-based and increasing social distancing.

Its accelerated Artificial Intelligence efforts through personalization, image search technology and customer support are expected to have enhanced the Marketplace platform.

The company has been providing more data to marketplace sellers, including price and restocking guidance, as well as more insight into inventory such as demand signals for the right products, price, and timing.

Core Platform Strength to Drive Net Transaction Revenues

In a bid to increase total net transaction revenues, eBay has been strengthening its core platform and improving user experience.

The company has been accelerating efforts to build product catalogs on structured data, enhance mobile platform, roll out browse-inspired shopping journeys, rejuvenate customer-to-customer business and strengthen its brand. This is likely to have contributed to top-line growth in the second quarter.

Guidance

Recently, eBay raised its second-quarter earnings guidance to reflect higher online sales amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The company now projects revenues within $2.75-$2.8 billion, up from the previous guided range of $2.38-$2.48 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 13-16%. In addition, non-GAAP earnings are expected within $1.02-$1.06 per share, up from the previous expectation of 73-80 cents.

Overhangs

Heightening competition in the e-commerce market from companies like Amazon and multichannel retailers might have affected the company’s quarterly performance.

eBay’s increased investment in overall platform technology and slower growth rate than peers might have hampered earnings.

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for eBay this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is not the case here as you will see below.

Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of -1.65%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Currently, eBay has a Zacks Rank #1.

Stocks That Warrant a Look

Here are a few stocks that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported.

NXP Semiconductors N.V. NXPI has an Earnings ESP of +11.90% and holds a Zacks Rank of 2.

Etsy, Inc. ETSY has an Earnings ESP of +10.98% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Intel Corporation INTC has an Earnings ESP of +3.13% and a Zacks Rank #2.

The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All

Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it’s predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce “”the world’s first trillionaires,”” but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.

See Zacks’ 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research