Today we are watching…
1. Mastercard (#master)
Confident consumers aren’t afraid to whip out their credit cards, and that’s entirely to the benefit of Mastercard. The global payments network has a business model investors love, earning a small fee from companies every time a customer pays with their card. In today’s earnings call, the company might explain why it ditched Libra, Facebook’s digital currency, and give us an update on its defense efforts against other fintech innovations. Dividend-chasing investors are putting their faith in massive network effects and brand power when it comes to Mastercard, a long-term pick that usually gets its way in the payment industry. Today, analysts are looking for $2.01 in profit per share on $4.42 billion in revenue.
2. Pfizer (#pfizer)
Big Pharma has gone out of tune this year, and Pfizer, right at the center of it, is no exception. One big merger and some blockbuster new drugs haven’t been enough to sway investors into buying Pfizer’s stock amid an opioid crisis in America. Still, that story could change at any moment. Currently, the stock boasts a very impressive dividend yield as the most bet against firm on Wall Street, and market watchers aren’t expecting much from this quarter’s earnings results. That means surprise numbers could prompt surprised buying. The company is expected to make $0.63 in profit per share on $12.22 billion in revenue.
