McCormick (MKC) reported $1.72 billion in revenue for the quarter ended August 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 2.7%. EPS of $0.85 for the same period compares to $0.83 a year ago.The reported revenue represents a surprise of +0.6% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.71 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.81, the EPS surprise was +4.94%.While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expe ...

Core Insights - Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) reported revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter ended June 2025, marking a year-over-year increase of 5.5% and exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.74% [1] - The earnings per share (EPS) for the same period was $2.80, up from $2.64 a year ago, representing a surprise of 7.69% over the consensus estimate of $2.60 [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Net Sales for Engineered Solutions reached $445.55 million, surpassing the three-analyst average estimate of $399.68 million, with a year-over-year change of 20.7% [4] - Net Sales for Service Center Based Distribution were reported at $779.18 million, slightly below the average estimate of $780.86 million, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 1.5% [4] - Operating income for Service Center Based Distribution was $101.29 million, compared to the average estimate of $108.41 million [4] - Operating income for Engineered Solutions was reported at $54.09 million, below the estimated $57.14 million [4] Stock Performance - Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies have returned 4.2% over the past month, outperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite's return of 3.3% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), indicating potential underperformance relative to the broader market in the near term [3]

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance. Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance. PTC In ...

Core Insights - Automatic Data Processing (ADP) reported a revenue of $5.13 billion for the quarter ended June 2025, marking a year-over-year increase of 7.5% and exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.5% [1] - The earnings per share (EPS) for the same period was $2.26, up from $2.09 a year ago, representing an EPS surprise of 1.8% over the consensus estimate [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Average paid PEO worksite employees during the period were 761, slightly above the two-analyst average estimate of 757 [4] - Revenues from interest on funds held for clients were $307.8 million, exceeding the estimated $286.31 million by 7.3% and reflecting an 11.2% increase year-over-year [4] - Revenues excluding interest on funds held for clients and PEO revenues were $3.16 billion, surpassing the $3.13 billion estimate, with a year-over-year change of 7.3% [4] - PEO revenues reached $1.66 billion, above the estimated $1.63 billion, showing a 7.2% increase compared to the previous year [4] - Employer Services segment revenues were $3.47 billion, exceeding the four-analyst average estimate of $3.43 billion, with a year-over-year change of 7.7% [4] - Other segment revenues reported a loss of $3 million, slightly worse than the estimated loss of $2.44 million, but reflecting a year-over-year improvement of 25% [4] Stock Performance - ADP shares returned -0.5% over the past month, contrasting with the Zacks S&P 500 composite's increase of 3.4% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Core Insights - NovoCure reported revenue of $158.81 million for the quarter ended June 2025, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 5.6% [1] - The company's EPS was -$0.36, a slight decline from -$0.31 in the same quarter last year [1] - Revenue exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $153.83 million by 3.24%, while EPS also surpassed expectations by 7.69% [1] Financial Performance - The reported revenue of $158.81 million indicates a positive trend compared to the previous year [1] - EPS of -$0.36 shows a deterioration in earnings performance compared to the prior year's -$0.31 [1] - The company achieved a revenue surprise of +3.24% and an EPS surprise of +7.69% against analyst estimates [1] Geographic Revenue Breakdown - Revenue from Greater China was $4.59 million, exceeding the average estimate of $3.7 million [4] - Revenue from Japan reached $9.48 million, surpassing the average estimate of $8.54 million [4] - Revenue from the United States was $94.26 million, slightly above the average estimate of $93.78 million [4] Stock Performance - NovoCure's shares have declined by 4.7% over the past month, contrasting with a 5.7% increase in the Zacks S&P 500 composite [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), suggesting it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Core Insights - The article discusses the long-term silver fox domestication experiment initiated by Dmitry Belyaev, highlighting its unexpected results and implications for understanding key indicators in both biological and financial contexts [5][10][13]. Group 1: Silver Fox Domestication Experiment - The silver fox domestication experiment began in 1959, focusing on selecting foxes based on a single key trait: tameness [5][6]. - By the sixth generation, some foxes began to exhibit friendly behaviors, and by the thirtieth generation, 70%-80% of the foxes reached elite tameness levels [8]. - The experiment revealed that identifying a key indicator can lead to the emergence of other desirable traits, akin to a "dragging effect" [10][13]. Group 2: ROCE as a Key Financial Indicator - Pulak Prasad, founder of Nalanda Capital, draws parallels between the silver fox experiment and financial analysis, proposing ROCE (Return on Capital Employed) as a critical metric for evaluating companies [16][34]. - ROCE provides a comprehensive view of management's capital allocation efficiency, contrasting with ROE, which focuses solely on shareholder equity [23][24]. - Companies maintaining a high ROCE (above 20%) are likely to possess strong competitive advantages, such as pricing power and brand strength [27][28]. Group 3: Life and Personal Indicators - The article emphasizes the importance of setting personal key indicators for life, akin to the scientific approach in the silver fox experiment and financial analysis with ROCE [37][70]. - Different life stages require different indicators, such as growth speed in youth and balance in adulthood [45][48]. - The overarching message is to find and nurture one's key indicators, similar to how Lyudmila Trut dedicated her life to the silver foxes [70][72].

Core Insights - Allbirds, Inc. reported revenue of $32.11 million for the quarter ended March 2025, reflecting an 18.4% decrease year-over-year, but exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $30.87 million by 4.03% [1] - The company's EPS was -$2.73, an improvement from -$3.60 in the same quarter last year, and surpassed the consensus EPS estimate of -$3.85 by 29.09% [1] Financial Performance - The net revenue from the United States was $25.63 million, which is a 12.3% decline year-over-year, and it exceeded the average estimate of $23.92 million [4] - International net revenue was reported at $6.49 million, down 35.7% year-over-year, compared to the average estimate of $6.68 million [4] Market Performance - Over the past month, Allbirds, Inc. shares have returned +8.8%, while the Zacks S&P 500 composite increased by +11.3% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Core Insights - Gartner reported revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter ended March 2025, reflecting a 4.2% increase year-over-year, with EPS at $2.98 compared to $2.93 in the same quarter last year [1] - The reported revenue met the Zacks Consensus Estimate, while the EPS exceeded the consensus estimate by 9.56% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Revenue from Research was $1.32 billion, slightly below the estimated $1.33 billion [4] - Revenue from Conferences was $73 million, significantly lower than the estimated $92.79 million [4] - Revenue from Consulting was $140 million, surpassing the estimated $113.05 million [4] Stock Performance - Gartner's shares have returned +11.6% over the past month, slightly outperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +11.5% change [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), indicating potential underperformance relative to the broader market in the near term [3]

Core Viewpoint - Yum China Holdings reported a revenue of $2.98 billion for the quarter ended March 2025, showing a year-over-year increase of 0.8%, but fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.11 billion, resulting in a surprise of -4.19% [1] Financial Performance - Earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was $0.77, compared to $0.71 a year ago, indicating an increase [1] - The EPS surprise was -1.28%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.78 [1] Key Metrics - Total number of restaurants: 16,642, below the average estimate of 16,807 [4] - Number of Pizza Hut restaurants: 3,769, compared to the average estimate of 3,841 [4] - Number of KFC restaurants: 11,943, slightly below the average estimate of 11,950 [4] Revenue Breakdown - Revenues from transactions with franchisees: $121 million, compared to the average estimate of $124.88 million, representing a year-over-year change of +13.1% [4] - Other revenues: $32 million, below the average estimate of $34.35 million, with no change year-over-year [4] - Franchise fees and income: $27 million, compared to the average estimate of $29.98 million, showing a year-over-year increase of +8% [4] - Company sales: $2.80 billion, below the average estimate of $2.91 billion, with a year-over-year change of +0.3% [4] - KFC company sales: $2.21 billion, compared to the average estimate of $2.30 billion, reflecting a +0.7% change year-over-year [4] - KFC franchise fees and income: $21 million, slightly below the average estimate of $21.62 million, with a year-over-year increase of +16.7% [4] - KFC other revenues: $1 million, significantly below the average estimate of $4.52 million, showing a year-over-year decline of -80% [4] - KFC revenues from transactions with franchisees: $16 million, compared to the average estimate of $16.71 million, with a year-over-year increase of +14.3% [4] Stock Performance - Shares of Yum China have returned -11.8% over the past month, while the Zacks S&P 500 composite changed by -0.2% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating potential performance in line with the broader market in the near term [3]

Core Insights - Corning reported revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter ended March 2025, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 12.9% and surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.87% [1] - The company's EPS for the quarter was $0.54, an increase from $0.38 in the same quarter last year, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.50 by 8.00% [1] Financial Performance - Net Sales in Display Technologies reached $905 million, slightly below the average estimate of $912.96 million, with a year-over-year change of +3.8% [4] - Net Sales in Optical Communications were $1.36 billion, exceeding the estimated $1.27 billion, marking a significant year-over-year increase of +45.7% [4] - Net Sales in Hemlock and Emerging Growth Businesses totaled $244 million, falling short of the average estimate of $321.84 million, representing a year-over-year decline of -21.5% [4] - Net Sales in Life Sciences were $234 million, below the average estimate of $249.16 million, with a slight year-over-year decrease of -0.9% [4] - Net Sales in Specialty Materials reached $501 million, surpassing the average estimate of $468.60 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of +10.4% [4] Segment Performance - Segment Net Income for Optical Communications was $201 million, exceeding the average estimate of $169.93 million [4] - Segment Net Income for Display Technologies was $243 million, above the average estimate of $221.66 million [4] - Segment Net Income for Life Sciences was $13 million, below the average estimate of $19.50 million [4] - Segment Net Income for Specialty Materials was $74 million, slightly above the average estimate of $72.16 million [4] - Segment Net Income for Hemlock and Emerging Growth Businesses reported a loss of -$16 million, worse than the average estimate of -$7.78 million [4] Stock Performance - Corning's shares have returned -3.7% over the past month, compared to a -0.8% change in the Zacks S&P 500 composite [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating potential performance in line with the broader market in the near term [3]