Artificial intelligence continues to be the dominant theme of the earnings season with software companies Salesforce, C3.ai and Box reporting in the wake of chipmaker Nvidia’s consensus-smashing sales forecasts this week.
Keen to separate winners from losers in the early days of the AI arms race, investors will want to know just how well companies such Crowdstrike and MongoDB can capitalize on the accelerated demand for generative computing.
Elsewhere in the tech sector, HP and Dell Technologies could provide the market with a better read on whether demand for tech hardware will recover later this year when they post results next week.
Monday: Markets will be closed for Memorial Day holiday.
Tuesday: Just how much Box’s (BOX US) latest AI-tool enhancements can help temper the effects of worsening demand remains to be seen. Consensus points to continued slowdown in Box’s total billings and revenue growth, both expected to come in below 5% in the first quarter, reflecting the challenging macro conditions as suggested by the company’s quarterly outlook released in March. Box reports after-market.
Wednesday: Salesforce (CRM US), scheduled post-market, is set to report its slowest annual sales growth since going public, intensifying scrutiny of its margins and restructuring plans. The cloud-based software company’s efforts to integrate and monetize AI will also come under the spotlight, say Jefferies analysts. Also reporting post-market is software upstart C3.ai (AI US), which faces questions over product delays and its management style. Recent short-seller critiques of the company may have been muted following the release of preliminary fourth-quarter sales figures that beat analysts’ estimates. The healthy deal pipeline should bolster investor confidence that C3.ai is on track to reach its goal of profitability by end of fiscal 2024, D.A. Davidson says.
Thursday: Margins at discount retailers Dollar General (DG US) and Five Below (FIVE US) likely saw further erosion during the quarter. Dollar General’s profitability is seen crimped by “stubbornly elevated costs” and a shift in consumer spending from higher-margin merchandise to “needs-based consumables,” BI says. Meanwhile, first-quarter top-line gains at Five Below could exceed consensus, thanks to the retail chain’s engaging store layouts and strong merchandising.
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