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Investment Managers in Queue for Q3 Earnings: MS, CNS & More

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Investment management industry, which is part of the broader Finance sector performed decently over the past several quarters. Importantly, the U.S. equity market experienced solid gains in the early months of the third quarter and the S&P 500 logged a return of 3.11% in the quarter. Also, post Brexit, majority of the firms witnessed a growth in third quarter average assets under management levels that was propelled by a sharp move in the markets early in the quarter.

Amid this, client asset growth is expected to be favorable in the to-be-reported quarter. Also trading activity is projected to be quite strong.

However, regulatory restrictions have been creating a challenging backdrop for traditional asset managers. Also, equity markets which became volatile in the latter half of the quarter raised concerns regarding the future prospects of the industry as a whole.

Notably, per our Earnings Preview report, overall earnings for the Finance sector in third-quarter 2016 are expected to be up 8.5% year over year.

Now, let’s have a look at some of the investment management stocks that are set to report their earnings this week.

Morgan Stanley (MS - Free Report) is scheduled to announce its results tomorrow before the opening bell. The company is expected to witness an improvement in trading income and debt underwriting fees. Also, its net interest income is likely to rise further.

However, concerns over regulatory issues and tax risks continue to remain a headwind. Moreover, it is difficult to conclude whether the company will be able to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the quarter. (Read more: Will Earnings Streak be Alive for Morgan Stanley in Q3?)

Notably, in three of the trailing four quarters, this stock surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Currently it carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

MORGAN STANLEY Price and EPS Surprise
 

Cohen & Steers, Inc. (CNS - Free Report) is also slated to announce its results tomorrow after market closes. The company has a Zacks Consensus Estimate of 51 cents, reflecting an increase of 39.19% year over year. Also, estimates have remained stable over the past 30 days.

Carrying a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of +1.96%, the company is quite likely to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate this quarter.

However, this stock lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters as depicted in the chart below.   

COHEN&STRS INC Price and EPS Surprise

SEI Investments Co. (SEIC - Free Report) is set to announce its results on Oct 20, 2016, after market closes. The company has a Zacks Consensus Estimate of 49 cents, representing a year-over-year rise of 3.72%. Its estimates remained stable over the past 30 days.

However, the company is not likely to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate this quarter because it has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% coupled with a Zacks Rank# 4 (Sell).

Notably, the company witnessed an average negative earnings surprise of 1.32% in the trailing four quarters as depicted in the chart below.

SEI INVESTMENTS Price and EPS Surprise

KCG Holdings, Inc. is yet another company to announce its results on Oct 20, before the market opens. It carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. Therefore, we cannot conclusively predict an earnings beat this quarter.

Notably, the Zacks Consensus Estimate experienced downward revision over the past 30 days and currently stands at 8 cents. This represents a year-over-year decline of 82.92%.

Nevertheless, the stock has witnessed an average positive earnings surprise of 20.89% in the trailing four quarters as depicted in the chart below.

KCG HOLDINGS Price and EPS Surprise
 

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