After an already tough year, earnings and guidance are expected to come under increased pressure. Yet there are names that stand out in this environment, according to Wolfe Research. The firm came up with a list of names to hold for the long term based on their earnings performances and forecasts this year. “Our sense is that companies beating on the top- and bottom-lines and providing constructive outlooks should have an increased chance of outperforming their peers in the months ahead,” chief investment strategist Chris Senyek wrote in a note Wednesday. Corporate America has been facing headwinds such as inflation and supply chain issues. The Federal Reserve is also continuing to hike interest rates in an effort to tame rising prices, leading some to become concerned about a possible recession . While overall second-quarter earnings came in better than expected, those expectations were pretty low. Projections are also low for the third quarter. In fact, they fell 7% in the three months preceding earnings season, compared to the average 3% to 4% decline typically experienced, Credit Suisse chief U.S. equity strategist Jonathan Golub pointed out in a separate note Wednesday. The S & P 500 ‘s earnings-per-share projections point to 2.6% growth in the third quarter, he said. The season kicks into high gear on Friday with some of the major banks reporting. To find long stock ideas in this environment, Wolfe Research’s Senyek screened for names that beat revenue and earnings per share estimates with positive price action around their first and second-quarter reports. Here are 10 of those names. PepsiCo continued its winning streak by reporting third-quarter results before the bell Wednesday that beat expectations. The snack and beverage giant said revenue rose 9% from a year ago to $21.97 billion, versus expectations of $20.84 billion. Its earnings came in at $1.97 per share, adjusted, compared to the Refinitiv forecast of $1.84 per share. Pepsi also boosted its forecast, anticipating revenue growth of 12% for 2022, up from 10%. CVS Health doesn’t report its third-quarter results until Nov. 2, but in its second-quarter report , the company increased its earnings outlook for 2022. The pharmacy operator now expects earnings per share for the full year to come in between $8.40 and $8.60, compared with its earlier estimate of between $8.20 and $8.40. In the second quarter, the company earned $2.40 per share, adjusted, beating a Refinitiv forecast of $2.17 per share. Rising oil prices helped Chevron , which reported record profits during the second quarter of 2022. Earnings came in at $11.62 billion during the three-month period, up from $3.08 billion during the second quarter of 2021. The energy giant earned $5.82 per share excluding items on $68.76 billion in revenue for the second quarter. Wall Street expected the company to earn $5.10 per share on $59.29 billion in revenue, according to Refinitiv. Chevron shares are up more than 30% year to date. Third-quarter results are expected to come in later this month. Lastly, Apple ‘s earnings per share for the fiscal third-quarter was $120, more than the expected $1.16. However, that was down 8% year over year. The tech giant’s revenue was $83 billion, compared to the $82.81 expected by Wall Street analysts. “In terms of an outlook in the aggregate, we expect revenue to accelerate in the September quarter despite seeing some pockets of softness,” Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC’s Steve Kovach in July. Apple is set to release its fiscal fourth-quarter results Oct. 27. In a note Tuesday, Citi analyst Jim Suva said he was still positive on the stock, despite investor and media fears. “Apple shares have slightly outperformed the broader market, given better-than-feared results [year to date], continued product launches, and positive news flow on consumer preference for higher ASP iPhone 14 Pro models,” he said. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
