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Earnings season
Start taking advantage of price movements caused by earnings seasons. Go long or short on a huge range of stocks with us, including 70 key stocks that you can trade out of hours.
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Call 0800 195 3100 or send us an email with any questions about opening a trading or investment account between 8am and 6pm (UK time) on weekdays.
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Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
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Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
What to watch this earnings season
While Covid-19 dominated market sentiment in 2020 and 2021, earnings season outlooks are more nuanced for 2022.
In particular, many investors will be watching to see if 2022 boasts a reversal of the market conditions that dominated the pandemic, such as low interest rates, a bullish Wall Street and booms for the tech and big pharma industries.
Emphasis is likely to be on supposed ‘sure bets’ this season, with rising interest rates prevalent and many sectors in flux as consumers attempt to return to pre-Covid normal, in spite of new variants.
Please note: The list of above companies should not be construed as financial advice. In some cases, where announcements have not been published by the respective companies before the time of publication, these earnings season dates are estimates only.
Please note: The list of above companies should not be construed as financial advice. In some cases, where announcements have not been published by the respective companies before the time of publication, these earnings season dates are estimates only.
Earnings season report calendar: key events
Take a look at some of the most anticipated UK and US earnings announcements.
| Earnings release date | ||
| JPMorgan Chase & Co | 14 January 2022 | Trade now |
| Netflix | 20 January 2022 | Trade now |
| Johnson & Johnson | 25 January 2022 | Trade now |
| Tesla Inc | 26 January 2022 | Trade now |
| The Boeing Co | Estimated 26 January 2022 | Trade now |
| Apple Inc | 27 January 2022 | Trade now |
| Amazon.com Inc | Estimated 27 January 2022 | Trade now |
| Alphabet Inc | 1 February 2022 | Trade now |
| Alibaba Group | Estimated 1 February 2022 | Trade now |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 2 February 2022 | Trade now |
| Royal Dutch Shell | 3 February 2022 | Trade now |
| Pfizer Inc | 8 February 2022 | Trade now |
| The Walt Disney Company | 9 February 2022 | Trade now |
| American International Group Inc (AIG) | 16 February 2022 | Trade now |
| Barclays | 23 February 2022 | Trade now |
| Virgin Galactic Holdings | Estimated 24 February 2022 | Trade now |
| Lloyds Banking Group | 24 February 2022 | Trade now |
Please note: The list of above companies should not be construed as financial advice. In some cases, where announcements have not been published by the respective companies before the time of publication, these earnings season dates are estimates only.
Take a look at our earnings calendar for more.
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Earnings season stocks to watch
- Inflation-beating stocks
- Tech stocks
- Bank stocks
- Healthcare and biotech
- Travel stocks
- 5G stocks
In November 2021, the UK’s inflation rate reached its highest point in a decade – and some experts, including the International Monetary Fund, have predicted it could climb still. In the US, inflation is rising too, proving a stark contrast already to the pandemic-impacted low rates of previous years.
In this increasingly hawkish environment, the spotlight is on inflation-beating stocks for earnings season. Also known as ‘defensive stocks’, these are companies known to provide progressive dividends and to have consistently rising share prices.
One of the buzziest examples of these is Apple, after it made history in early January by becoming the first company to ever hit a $3 trillion market cap. In the UK, these could take the form of big supermarket chains like Sainsbury’s, after 2021’s high-profile bidding wars for retail grocer Morrisons.
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Tech companies are among the more divisive stocks of this earnings season. Some hold to the theory that the Covid-19 pandemic’s ‘tech bubble’ has officially burst, stalling the exponential gains made by many tech businesses in 2020 and 2021. However, other investors and experts believe that there’s still a lot of life left in innovative platform companies – particularly FAANG ones.
Most of all, investors’ eyes will be on Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, as it delivers its first-ever results, as well as watching Tesla and Apple.
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Along with continued economic recovery from Covid-19, the Bank of England (BoE) is likely to raise the base interest rate. Like defensive stocks, bank shares are known to do well in most hawkish environments and are typically considered as a hedge against inflation. This is because banking stocks often perform better in higher interest rate environments due to increased profits caused by higher mortgage repayment amounts for their customers.
Lloyds Banking Group in particular could soar in the new environment. Its latest results boast a £2 billion profit, almost double that of Q3 2020. As the UK’s biggest mortgage lender, it stands to benefit hugely from hiked interest rates causing increased mortgage repayments.
As interest rates rise while economies try to recover from the devastations of the pandemic, this will be an interesting earnings season for bigger banks and financial services companies such as Lloyds, Barclays, Wells Fargo and more.
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Despite lingering concerns regarding new Covid-19 variants, investors are largely looking beyond the ‘vaccine economy’ that defined 2020 and 2021. However, healthcare stocks – and biotech ones in particular – are predicted to be in rude health in the coming year. With numerous new drugs and patents across the healthcare spectrum having been released recently, as well as increasing awareness of late-onset Covid-19 side effects, these stocks could be useful to watch this earnings season:
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Travel stocks have certainly been on a journey since the Covid-19 pandemic first arrived. A new optimism for the possibility of travel and leisure shares has emerged with 2022, albeit with a beady eye still on the new Covid variants emerging and various shifting lockdown statuses across the globe.
With cabin feverish populations the world over longing to get away once again, certain travel stocks could see great gains in 2022 – or great losses again, if new Covid variant-related lockdowns prove more severe and long-lasting than anticipated.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, many telecommunications companies continued with the rapid increase in areas with 5G coverage. With Ericsson predicting 5G as the main form of mobile connectivity worldwide by 2027, expansion looks set to continue and gather pace in 2022.
However, this will be heavily dependent on whether or not shortages for key 5G components will continue throughout the year. It’s worth keeping an eye on the whole 5G supply chain, from chip makers to providers.
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
What is an earnings season?
An earnings season is a quarterly period in which most public companies release their earnings reports. With these financial results releases instrumental in companies’ share prices, many traders and investors look forward to earnings season as a highlight on the calendar.
Quarterly reports are mandatory in the US. However, a large majority of companies from other countries, like UK, choose to participate in earnings seasons due to the increasingly multinational nature of many sectors.
- When is earnings season
- Why is earnings season important
- Ways to trade earnings seasons
- What is an earnings report and call
- How to trade earnings reports
Earnings seasons occur four times a year and fall in the months of January to February, April to May, July and September to November. These are usually a couple of weeks after the final month of each financial quarter (end of December, March, June and August).
Although it’s not uncommon for companies to report outside of earnings seasons, large companies’ releases tend to fall within a few weeks of each other, leading to four discernible ‘seasons’ every year.
For more specific details, you can look at our earnings calendar to find out the exact date of a company’s earnings announcement.
Earnings announcements are released outside of market hours so that the reports reach as many people as possible and don’t interrupt the trading day. While this usually means you can’t take a position immediately, with us you can trade over 70 US stocks out of hours.
Earnings season gives insights into the outlook of a company and can help you to determine whether to take a position on the stock.
This is why earnings releases are usually accompanied by volatility in a company’s share price, because market sentiment is adjusting to the reports. Even more volatility is expected once CEOs have provided more information in earnings calls.
Market analysts will form estimates of whether a company’s earnings will rise or fall, which can change as it gets closer to the official announcement. If the actual numbers are above analysts’ expectations, the market could rise. But if the figures are below expectations, it’s likely that the market will fall.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, the market can move in the complete opposite direction – rising when the expectations aren’t met, and falling when the earnings exceed expectations.
It’s also important to look at a company’s historical figures for predicted and actual earnings and how the market responded to the reports. This could help you form an educated guess as to how volatility might play out.
When analysts’ expectations of a company’s earnings per share are in line with pre-released earnings guidance for that quarter, there tends to be little volatility. Just remember, the opposite is also true.
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An earnings report is a document given to shareholders and analysts that details items such as net income, earnings per share (EPS) and net sales.
An earnings call is a conference between the management of a company, analysts, investors and the media to discuss the outcome of an earnings report. This is a chance for questions to be asked about the main details of the reports.
Depending on when a company holds its earnings call, you can use the information to inform their decisions. However, not all companies hold earnings calls, and some will not fall within the earnings period.
- Choose which companies to focus on
It’s impossible to cover every company, so just stick to a few of your favourites. - Do your research and look at analysis
Find out when each company is due to report its earnings, see what analysts expectations are and how the share price normally responds. - Create a trading strategy and stick to it
Choose your goals, methodology for entering and exiting trades, and how you will manage your risk. - Open a trading account and take your first position
You can monitor your trade easily on our platform, or set price alerts to let you know when your targets are met. - Learn from each earnings season
Once you decide to close your trade, it’s important to review your results and perform post-analysis to prepare you for the next earnings season.
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Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Keep up to date on earnings reports
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Breaking news and analysis
Get updates before and after company earnings from our in-house market experts.
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Buy 17 Tesla shares at $516 with a FX rate of 1.181 (GBP/USD).
Please note, when you buy and sell shares with CFDs, you will only be speculating on the underlying market price – not taking ownership of the shares.
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Go short at £0.13/pt | Go long on 17 shares | Buy 17 shares |
| Capital required to open | £0.52 (spread) | $15.00 (commission) | $0** |
| Charge to open | - | 0.5% FX conversion on CFD profits/losses* | $127.50 |
| Round trip FX conversion fee | £1.12 | $1.48 | - |
| Overnight funding | £0.52 (spread) | $15.00 (commission) | $0** |
| Total fees | £2.16 | £24.24 | £97.90 |
This information is correct as of 26/03/2021 and with the corresponding FX conversion rates.
*When you trade in a currency other than your account’s base currency.
** Trade in your share dealing account three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates. Please note published rates are valid up to £25,000 notional value. See our full list of share dealing charges and fees.
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Footnotes:
1 Deal three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates.
2 Based on revenue excluding FX (published financial statements, October 2021).
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