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What's in the Cards for WisdomTree (WETF) in Q1 Earnings?

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WisdomTree Investments, Inc. is scheduled to report first-quarter 2017 results on Apr 28, before the market opens.

Last quarter, this New York-based exchange traded fund (“ETF”) and exchange-traded product (“ETP”) sponsor reported adjusted earnings per share of 3 cents, which lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 6 cents. The company witnessed a decline in revenues due to lower assets under management (AUM) and higher expenses.

However, the company has a decent earnings surprise history as depicted in the chart below:

Earnings Whispers

According to our quantitative model, we cannot conclusively predict an earnings beat for WisdomTree in the upcoming results. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better for this to happen, which is not the case here as elaborated below.

(You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.)

Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP for WisdomTree is 0.00%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate matches the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 4 cents.

Zacks Rank: WisdomTree’s Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we also need to have a positive ESP to be confident of an earnings beat.

Factors at Play

The last year was quite tough for WisdomTree as it was hit with significant outflows. The outflows were mostly driven by internationally hedged products, particularly the company’s major currency-hedged funds – HEDJ and DXJ – which constitute a major part of the company’s AUM.

In the first quarter, there were no measurable progress that can help the company to reduce outflows.   

WisdomTree remains focused on executing strategic growth initiatives, including expansion of distribution capabilities, investment in technology, launch of innovative products and addition of personnel. We expect such initiatives to increase marketing and sales expenses in the first quarter.

A key area to watch is compensation expense level during the quarter. Management expects a compensation expense to be 28–31% of revenues for the year.

WisdomTree’s activities during the to-be-reported quarter were inadequate to win analysts’ confidence. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter remained stable over the last seven days.

Stocks that Warrant a Look

The Earnings ESP for Moody’s Corporation (MCO - Free Report) is +4.17% and it carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company is scheduled to release first-quarter results on May 5. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here

Ares Management L.P. (ARES - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +2.56% and a Zacks Rank #3. It is slated to report first-quarter results on May 8.

The Earnings ESP for Manning & Napier, Inc. is +14.29% and it carries a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to release first-quarter results on May 3.

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