Tag: American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL)

Clear Skies Ahead? Can US-China Flights Propel 3 Airliners for Takeoff?

Posted on by The INO.com Team

With the pandemic firmly in the rear-view mirror, consumers are ever keener to redeem their pile of airline miles on other travel rewards on their credit cards for new experiences through “revenge travel.” Revenge travel has its origins in “baofuxing xiaofei” or “revenge spending,” an economic trend that originated in 1980s China when a growing middle class had an insatiable appetite for foreign luxury goods.

Since e-commerce, albeit with a few hiccups in the supply chain, was able to satiate the appetite for goods through the pandemic, Americans are now going above and beyond to compensate for the years spent indoors trying to substitute real experiences with virtual ones.

The trend is expected to gain further momentum with the relaxation of restrictions on international travel that were put in place by China as part of its strict and controversial “Zero-Covid” policy. Consequently, air traffic between the U.S. and China is expected to double in volume by the end of October.

According to an order by the U.S. Transportation Department, each country will gain an additional six weekly round-trip flights as of September 1, up from the current 12, with the total number of flights for each nation planned to rise to 24 by October 29.

In this context, here are three U.S airlines that stand to benefit the most from the persistent tailwind:

On July 13, Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) reported record revenues and earnings for the fiscal second quarter driven by strong demand for international travel, premium seals, and a 22% decline in fuel expenses. The Atlanta-based airline’s adjusted revenue and EPS came in at $14.61 billion and $2.68, compared to consensus estimates of $14.49 billion and $2.40, respectively.

Given that airlines conduct the bulk of their business in the second and third quarters, DAL hiked its 2023 earnings forecast to an adjusted $6 to $7 a share, up from its previous estimate at the high end of a $5 to $6 per share range.

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) has also been on a purple patch which has seen the carrier posting record quarterly earnings and forecast a strong third quarter amid an unprecedented domestic and international travel boom.

The carrier’s total revenue came in at $14.18 billion, compared to consensus estimates of $13.91 billion. Its net income came in at $1.08 billion, which resulted in an adjusted EPS of $5.03 for the quarter that surpassed Street expectations of $4.03.

International flights made up 40% of the revenue, but the segment is growing faster than domestic ones amid the overdue relaxation of strict Covid restrictions overseas. 

Despite ten consecutive interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, it isn’t difficult to connect the dots and understand why American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) has had to turn to bigger airplanes, even on shorter routes, and jumbo-jets, such as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380, are being brought back to help ease airport congestion and work around pilot shortages.

As a result of this tailwind, AAL’s revenue for the fiscal second quarter topped analyst estimates to come in at a record $14.06 billion, up 4.7% year-over-year. With the airline’s executives bullish on travel demand, particularly for international trips, the operator has raised its earnings outlook for the fiscal year 2023.

Dark Clouds Around the Silver Lining

“If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” The obviousness of this observation made by Herb Stein was what made it famous.

Amid widespread convictions that pent-up demand for travel will be a multi-year demand set, it is easy to get carried away by the “pent-up demand” and “revenge travel” narrative.

However, the rise of remote work and virtual teams, facilitated by contemporary collaboration and productivity tools, seems to have become an immune and immutable remnant of the cultural sea-change our work and lives had to adopt and adapt to during the pandemic, new reports give us reasons to doubt whether business travel is ever going back to normal.

In such a situation, with traveling for leisure being an occasional indulgence in most of our lives, there are risks that the pent-up demand might not be enough to sustain the momentum that is propelling the growth performance of DAL and other airlines, which are primarily in the business of ferrying passengers.

Moreover, with ticket prices at all-time highs and the stash of pandemic stimulus cash, fueling the leisure travel boom expected to run out over this quarter, it is unsurprising to find tricks and trends, such as ‘skip-lagging’ and consumers trading down on travel being on the rise.

Across the Pacific, with the Chinese economy currently battling triple threats of deflation, chronically high youth unemployment, and an ever-intensifying real-estate debt crisis, it could be unrealistic to expect any appreciable recovery in overseas travel demand among the aging, shrinking, and deurbanizing Chinese population that’s holding on to its savings for dear life amid macro-economic uncertainties that could bring about a lost decade.

Moreover, geopolitical relations between the U.S. and China have been souring because of differences regarding the latter’s territorial claims. The trade war between the two superpowers is intensifying amid restrictions on exports of semiconductor chips and investments in other cutting-edge technology by the former, and the latter upping the ante won’t help matters either as far as civil aviation between the two countries is concerned.

Bottomline

While U.S. air carriers and their Chinese peers would want nothing more than for passenger demand to stay strong and, perhaps, keep growing, the most likely case would be a return to seasonality and cyclicality, as is typical of the airline industry.

However, the possibility of passenger demand falling off a cliff and investors rushing for the exits only to find that the clock struck midnight and the chariot turned back to a pumpkin can’t be completely ruled out.

Either way, every flight that takes off has to land at some point. However, amid widespread tail risks, investors, both current and prospective, would be wise to fasten their seatbelts because the skies ahead are anything but clear.

Stocks Set to Pop Off Following 4th of July

Posted on by The INO.com Team

With the pandemic in the rearview mirror, Independence Day has taken on an entirely new significance for most Americans this time. Americans appear to have gone above and beyond to compensate for the years spent indoors by making the most of the (unofficially) long weekend with short trips, camping, cookouts, pool parties, and eating out.

The increased demand for, and consequently expenditure on, services and experiences is also evident in the recent employment data, with leisure and hospitality adding 208,000 positions out of the expectation-beating private sector employment increase of 278,000 for May. The sector was also a notable contributor to the increase of 339,000 in non-farm payrolls for the month.

In view of the above, leisure stocks could be the beneficiaries of the increased levels of outdoor activities around the nation’s Independence Day. In this context, the following stocks that could witness significant upsides in the near term could be worth watching.

The Walt Disney Company (DIS)

While the global entertainment giant has recently been in the news for its ongoing feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis, outside the political and legal arena, DIS is going through a significant transition under the leadership of its returned CEO, Robert A. Iger.
In addition to the Disney Entertainment and the ESPN divisions, the rest of DIS’ businesses will be organized under the existing parks, experiences, and products division.

As a result, DIS reported significant growth at its theme parks during the fiscal second quarter, which saw a 17% increase in revenue to $7.7 billion, with around $5.5 billion contributed by theme-park locations. Moreover, its cruise business also saw an increase in passenger cruise days as guests spent more time and money visiting its parks, hotels, and cruises domestically and internationally during the quarter.

Domino's Pizza, Inc. (DPZ)

The global pizza chain operates two distinct delivery and carryout service models within its stores. The company operates through three segments: U.S. stores; international franchises; and supply chain. In addition to company-owned and franchised stores across the United States, its network of franchised stores is spread in 90 international markets.

Given the increased outdoor activity, while delivery sales will stabilize, carryout sales are expected to grow in the next twelve months. In view of the widespread reversal of consumer behavior to pre-pandemic patterns, on June 20, DPZ launched its Pinpoint Delivery service nationwide that allows customers to receive a delivery almost anywhere, ranging from parks and baseball fields to beaches, without a standard address.

American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL)

Being one of the major air carriers, AAL is reaping the bounty of the surge in leisure travel during the first summer in three years in which the pandemic is not making headlines.

With enough pent-up demand from consumers ever keener to redeem their pile of airline miles and other travel rewards on their credit cards through revenge travel, it’s unsurprising that AAL has turned to bigger airplanes, even on shorter routes, to help ease airport congestion and find its way around pilot shortages.

As a result of this tailwind, AAL’s revenue surpassed the airline’s cost to help it report a $10 million profit during the first quarter of the fiscal year. Moreover, with fuel prices yet to rise significantly due to a stuttering recovery of the Chinese economy and Memorial Day travel topping 2019 levels, the operator has raised its adjusted earnings outlook for the second quarter.

Nathan's Famous, Inc.

NATH operates in the food service industry as an owner of franchise restaurants under Nathan’s Famous brand name. The company also sells products bearing Nathan’s Famous trademarks through various distribution channels.

Driven by post-pandemic momentum, for the fiscal year that ended March 26, 2023, NATH’s revenues increased 13.8% year-over-year to $130.79 million. During the same period, the company’s income from operations increased by 15.3% year-over-year to $34.45 million, while its adjusted EBITDA grew 16.8% year-over-year to come in at $36.38 million. As a result, net income for the fiscal came in at $19.62 million, up 44.3% year-over-year.

5 Best Performing Leisure Stocks to Buy in 2023 Summer

Posted on by The INO.com Team

With the pandemic well and truly in the rearview mirror, for most Americans, the onset of summer can only mean one thing: increased consumption. However, e-commerce, albeit with a few hiccups in the supply chain, was able to satiate the appetite for goods through the pandemic.
Hence, Americans are now going above and beyond to compensate for the years spent indoors trying to substitute real experiences with virtual ones. Think camping, cookouts, pool parties, and weekend trips.

Consumers are ever keener to redeem their airline miles on other travel rewards on their credit cards for new experiences through revenge travel.
Consequently, airlines, such as American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) , have turned to bigger airplanes, even on shorter routes, to help ease airport congestion and find their way around pilot shortages, while Ed Bastion, CEO of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) revealed, “We’ve had the 20 largest cash sales days in our history all occur this year.”

Moreover, as the consumer price index only grew by 4% year-over-year, which is the slowest in 2 years, a pause in interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve could add further momentum to the jump of 0.8% in spending in April.

The increased demand for, and consequently expenditure on, services and experiences are also evident in the recent employment data, with leisure and hospitality adding 208,000 positions out of the expectation-beating private sector employment increase of 278,000 for the month of May. The sector was also a notable contributor to the increase of 339,000 in non-farm payrolls for the month.

Given the above, leisure stocks could be smart investments to capitalize on the increased levels of outdoor activity. Here are a few stocks in the realm of traveling or recreational activities that stand to gain during the summer.

The Walt Disney Company (DIS)

While the global entertainment giant has recently been in the news for its ongoing feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis, outside the political and legal arena, DIS is going through a significant transition under the leadership of its returned CEO, Robert A. Iger.
In addition to the Disney Entertainment and the ESPN divisions, the rest of DIS’ businesses will be organized under the existing parks, experiences, and products division.

As a result, DIS reported significant growth at its theme parks during the fiscal second quarter, which saw a 17% increase in revenue to $7.7 billion, with around $5.5 billion contributed by theme-park locations. Moreover, its cruise business also saw an increase in passenger cruise days as guests spent more time and money visiting its parks, hotels, and cruises domestically and internationally during the quarter.

Marriott International (MAR)

Under various brand names, such as JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, and St. Regis, MAR operates, franchises, and licenses hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties through two geographical segments: U.S. & Canada and International.

Over the past three years, MAR’s revenue has grown at a 10.6% CAGR. During the same time horizon, the company’s EBITDA and net income have grown at 22.2% and 43.4% CAGRs, respectively.

On June 5, MAR announced its plans to further expand in the affordable midscale lodging segment, following its recent entry into the segment with City Express by Marriott in Latin America.

While the soon-to-be-launched brand has not yet been named, it is currently being referred to as Project MidX Studios. The affordable midscale extended stay brand is intended to deliver reasonably priced modern comfort for guests seeking longer stay accommodations in the U.S. & Canada.

Pool Corporation (POOL)

POOL is a wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related leisure products. The company also distributes irrigation and landscape products in the United States.

Over the past three years, POOL’s revenue has grown at a 22.1% CAGR. During the same time horizon, the company’s EBITDA and net income have grown at 37.5% and 37.2% CAGRs, respectively.

On May 4, POOL announced an increase in its share repurchase program to a total authorization of $600 million, along with a 10% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $1.10 per share.

Acushnet Holdings Corp. (GOLF)

The Fairhaven, Massachusetts-headquartered company designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes golf products. It operates through four segments: Titleist golf balls; Titleist golf clubs; Titleist golf gear; and FootJoy golf wear.

Over the past three years, GOLF’s revenue increased at a 12.4% CAGR, while its EBITDA grew at 18% CAGR. During the same time horizon, the company’s net income has also grown at a 30.6% CAGR.

On February 7, GOLF announced the acquisition of the Club Glove brand, including trademarks, domains, and products, from West Coast Trends, Inc. Founded in 1990, Club Glove is the preferred choice by the overwhelming majority of PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, and PGA Club Professionals, and its patented travel gear has long been recognized among the industry’s most innovative and reliable products.

During the fiscal first quarter that ended March 31, 2023, GOLF’s net sales increased by 13.2% year-over-year to $686.3 million. During the same period, the company’s adjusted EBITDA increased by 22.3% year-over-year to $146.8 million, while the net income attributable to it grew by 15.2% year-over-year to come in at $93.3 million.

Johnson Outdoors Inc. (JOUT)

For Americans who find the great outdoors and road trips more akin to their idea of freedom and the spirit of adventure, JOUT manufactures and markets branded seasonal outdoor recreation products used primarily for fishing, diving, paddling, and camping. The company’s segments include Fishing; Camping; Watercraft Recreation; and Diving.

Over the past three years, JOUT’s revenue increased by 11% CAGR, while its total assets have increased by 11.6% CAGR during the same time horizon.

Due to an improved supply chain situation and increased travel, during the second quarter of the fiscal that ended March 31, JOUT’s net sales increased by 7% year-over-year to $202.1 million. During the same period, the company’s net income came in at $14.9 million, compared to $9.9 million during the previous-year quarter.

Analyzing the Future of Retail Stocks and How Investors Can Stay Ahead

Posted on by The INO.com Team

After registering 0.2% and 1% declines for two consecutive months, on May 16, the advance sales report showed a recovery of 0.4% in retail sales for April. However, this modest rebound missed the Dow Jones estimate of a 0.8% increase.

This muted outlook has also been reflected in the first quarter earnings of Macy's, Inc. (M). Although the mid-tier retailer surpassed the earnings estimates for the quarter, a spring pullback has caused it to miss its revenue estimates and slash its top- and bottom-line guidance for the entire year.
Given the prevailing demand softness in the unfavorable macroeconomic environment, M expects sales of $22.8 billion to $23.2 billion for the year, down from the previous expectations of $23.7 billion to $24.2 billion. The company now expects earnings per share of $2.70 to $3.20, significantly down from the previous guidance of $3.67 to $4.11.

With M joining its peers, such as Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN) and Dollar General Corporation (DG), in reporting lackluster performances, let’s explore what this means for the prospects of retail businesses relative to another sector that has been claiming a greater share of consumers’ budget lately.

U.S. domestic consumption has been on a roller coaster ride over the past three years. People have gone from not being free enough to spend practically-free money to spending like there’s no tomorrow.

That, in turn, led to a not-so-transitory inflation, the hottest since the 1980s, forcing the Federal Reserve to implement ten successive interest-rate hikes in a little over a year to take the Fed funds rate to a target range of 5% to 5.25%.

With consumer debt pushing past $17 trillion to come in at an all-time high during the previous quarter, average American consumers have been forced to rein in their urge to splurge to prevent inflation from biting harder. The Survey of Consumer Expectations for April carried out by the New York Fed showed that the outlook for spending fell by half a percentage point to an annual rate of 5.2%, the lowest since September 2021.

As a result, the middle-income and aspirational consumers have been forced to go bargain hunting to squeeze out the maximum possible value from money which has gotten dearer, as has been witnessed in other periods of economic slowdown throughout history.

Hence, they have been forced to trade down to budget-friendly retailers, such as Walmart Inc. (WMT), which usually cater to low-income consumers leaving the businesses that offer something in between being wrong-footed and stranded.

Although budget retailers have lost sales from low-income consumers, that loss has been offset by increased business from the middle-income consumer segment, who have been frequenting such stores to shop for groceries and other non-discretionary products, contributing to most of the sales.

Consequently, weaker sales have cut across Macy’s brands, including higher-end Bloomingdale’s and beauty chain Bluemercury. According to CEO Jeff Gennette, the “aspirational customer” who shopped more luxury brands has dropped off as stimulus money has dried up.

Likewise, warehouse club Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) found its famous $1.50 hot dog and soda combo back in the headlines as inflation bit harder to squeeze pockets further. The hot dog combo and its rotisserie chicken, whose price has been pegged at $4.99 since 2009, are the retailer’s loss leaders that lure in customers who are likely to buy other items as well.

This could be helpful, especially in times like these in which, according to CFO Richard Galanti, even COST’s relatively well-to-do members are ditching pricier beef products for cheaper meats such as pork and chicken, while others are bypassing the fresh meat aisle entirely and opting for cheaper canned meat and fish products with longer shelf life.

However, a decline of 0.3 percentage points in the overall outlook for inflation over the next year suggests that things could improve, but probably not before they worsen.

Despite current economic uncertainties and hardships, high-income segments have been relatively unaffected, with affluent patrons queueing up for finer things in life on offer from the likes of Tiffany & Co. and LVMH.

Another sector that’s seemingly unaffected by the mundane hardships of the retail businesses is the colorful world of leisure travel. While the pandemic is firmly in the rearview mirror, there is enough pent-up demand from consumers ever keener to redeem their pile of airline miles and other travel rewards on their credit cards through revenge travel.

Moreover, with a jump of 0.8% in spending in April, with personal consumption expenditure beating estimates to rise 0.4% for the month despite ten consecutive interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, it isn’t difficult to connect the dots and understand why airlines, such as American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) have turned to bigger airplanes, even on shorter routes, to help ease airport congestion and find their way around pilot shortages.

As a result of this tailwind, AAL’s revenue surpassed the airline’s cost to help it report a $10 million profit during the first quarter of the fiscal year. Moreover, with fuel prices yet to rise significantly due to a stuttering recovery of the Chinese economy and Memorial Day travel topping 2019 levels, the operator has raised its adjusted earnings outlook for the second quarter.

Down at sea, cruise liners such as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) have also found it smooth sailing, with the cumulative booked position for 2023 coming in higher than 2019 levels and occupancy of 101.5% during the first quarter also exceeding the company’s expectations.

The increased demand for, and consequently expenditure on, services and experiences are also evident in the recent employment data, with leisure and hospitality adding 208,000 positions out of the expectation-beating private sector employment increase of 278,000 for the month of May. The sector was also a notable contributor to the increase of 339,000 in non-farm payrolls for the month.

The altered priorities of consumers are also reflected in the stock price action. While M’s stock slumped by more than 19% YTD, AAL and NCLH gained around 19% and 43% over the same period.

Looking Ahead

While it would be an understatement to say that the momentum is firm in the travel and hospitality sector, it might be wise to consider certain things before indulging in the willful suspension of disbelief and extrapolating beyond the foreseeable future.

Since the rise of remote work and virtual teams, facilitated by contemporary collaboration and productivity tools, seems to have become an immune and immutable remanent of the cultural sea-change our work and lives had to adopt and adapt to during the pandemic, new reports give us reasons to doubt whether business travel is ever going back to normal.

In such a situation, with traveling for leisure being an occasional indulgence in most of our lives, there are risks that the pent-up demand might not be enough to sustain the momentum that is propelling the growth performance of travel and hospitality businesses.

Moreover, since technology companies such as Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) are finding increasingly innovative ways to immerse people in experiences without needing them to leave their homes, long-term investors with significant leisure and travel sector could find themselves looking nervously over their shoulders over time.

However, businesses in the retail sector, especially the non-discretionary variety, should be able to help their stakeholders sleep easily, knowing that while wants and desires are temporary, needs are permanent, and technology can’t single-handedly fulfill them (yet).