Good Morning Traders! Today’s Morning Memo analyzes key price levels for SPY, QQQ, AAPL, MSFT, NVDA, GOOGL, META, and TSLA, utilizing our proprietary formula that considers price, volume, and options flow. Stay alert and adjust your tactics as the market unfolds to optimize your trading gains. Remember, the Federal Reserve is in a quiet period until next Wednesday’s FOMC rate decision, so today’s market may be subdued.
Reliance Industries’ (RIL) Q4FY24 earnings brought mixed results. While revenue grew by 10.8% to ₹2,64,834 crore, profit after tax declined by a marginal 0.4% to ₹21,243 crore. Key highlights include double-digit growth in revenue, profit, and EBITDA for Jio Platforms, driven by subscriber growth and increased data and voice traffic. However, EBITDA margin for Jio Platforms slightly declined. The company witnessed strong contributions from O2C and consumer businesses, while the impact of lower refining margins was offset by higher chemical spreads.
Retail investors are increasingly utilizing demat accounts to diversify their portfolios and secure their financial futures. This shift is attributed to the accessibility and user-friendliness of mobile trading platforms, easy access to financial information, and regulatory efforts promoting stock market awareness. To maximize the benefits of long-term investing, investors should utilize their demat accounts to invest in a diversified portfolio, implement SIPs in mutual funds, adopt a buy-and-hold approach, stay updated with market trends, and regularly monitor their investment portfolios.
Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT), a leading global information technology, consulting, and business process services company, has announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024.
In a conference call led by CEO Srinivas Pallia, the company reported a slight 0.1% sequential growth in IT services revenue for Q4, with large deal bookings of $1.2 billion. For the full year, Wipro achieved a revenue of $10.8 billion and expanded its margins to 16.1%. Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, the company saw a 5.2% increase in net income and earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, while full-year EPS grew by 0.8%.
Wipro’s cash flow was robust, with $626 million generated in Q4 and $2.1 billion for the full year. The company expects a sequential growth of -1.5% to +0.5% in constant currency for the first quarter of 2025, with IT Services business segment revenue projected to be between $2.617 billion and $2.670 billion.
Key Takeaways:
– Wipro’s IT services revenue grew marginally by 0.1% sequentially in Q4.
– The company booked large deals worth $1.2 billion and reported full-year revenue of $10.8 billion.
– Margins expanded to 16.1% for the full year, with a margin improvement of 235 basis points.
– Net income and EPS for Q4 increased by 5.2%, while full-year EPS grew by 0.8%.
– Cash flow was strong, with $626 million in Q4 and $2.1 billion for the full year.
– Wipro expects Q1 ’25 sequential growth of -1.5% to +0.5% in constant currency.
Company Outlook:
– Wipro anticipates Q1 2025 IT Services business segment revenues to range between $2.617 billion and $2.670 billion.
– The company remains cautious due to the overall demand environment and sector-specific softness.
– Focus areas include accelerating large deal momentum, simplifying the operating model, and leveraging Capco’s BFSI consulting capabilities.
Bearish Highlights
– Wipro faces challenges due to high discretionary spending in the BFSI sector.
– There is a weaker performance in the communications and high-tech sectors.
– The conversion of large deal total contract value to revenue is lower because of discretionary spending and slower buoyancy in smaller deals.
Bullish Highlights
– The company saw growth in the BFSI and healthcare sectors.
– Strategic acquisitions and the launch of the Wipro Enterprise Artificial Intelligence Ready Platform with IBM (NYSE: IBM) are expected to bolster business.
– Capco’s performance has shown an uptick, contributing to synergy wins and revenue acceleration.
Misses
– The company reported a marginal sequential growth in IT services revenue for Q4, reflecting a challenging macroeconomic climate.
Q&A Highlights
– Strategies to reduce churn levels include providing growth opportunities and focusing on internal talent development.
– Wipro aims to improve win rates by proactively creating pipelines and shaping deals specific to industries and clients.
– The company has generated 85% to 110% of free cash flow as a percentage of net income historically and aims to continue improving cash flow generation.
Bladex, the Latin American bank, reported a Q1 2024 net income of $51.3 million, a 39% increase from the previous year. The bank’s credit portfolio and deposits grew by 12% and 32%, respectively. Bladex is transitioning to the expansion phase of its strategic plan, which includes the selection of two key IT platforms to enhance its product suite. Despite increased expenses, the bank remains optimistic about continued growth in 2024 and beyond.
Bank of America predicts the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will maintain its current interest rate target range at 0-0.1% at its upcoming monetary policy meeting on April 26, 2024. The BoJ recently exited its negative interest rate policy and overhauled its monetary framework, and is now assessing the impact of these changes. Governor Ueda has indicated that the bank’s focus is on evaluating the effects of the recent policy modifications on the economy and inflation. The quarterly Outlook Report, Governor Ueda’s post-meeting press conference, and the Summary of Opinions are expected to provide clues about future rate hikes and adjustments to JGB purchases.
The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite suffered its sixth straight session of losses on Friday, with Nvidia stock dropping 10%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index also fell, mirroring declines in Asian markets. Geopolitical unrest and a disappointing earnings report from ASML Holding contributed to the negative sentiment.
A Citigroup managing director has filed an amended lawsuit alleging a culture of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the bank. Ardith Lindsey claims that her supervisor, Mani Singh, subjected her to violent threats and abuse after she ended their relationship. According to Lindsey, the bank failed to protect her despite numerous complaints, and she is now on leave due to the psychological impact of the abuse. Citigroup has not yet responded to the allegations.
Institutional investors have placed significant bearish bets against Boeing (BA), with a notable 60% of options trades indicating a negative outlook. This sentiment contrasts with the more bullish 40% of trades, highlighting a divided market. The potential price range identified by these large traders extends from $145.0 to $250.0 for Boeing. Analysis of call and put volumes and open interest further supports this outlook, revealing growing activity within this price window. Despite the bearish sentiment, Boeing’s current trading position remains relatively stable, with moderate volume and an RSI indicator suggesting potential oversold conditions. The company’s upcoming earnings announcement in two days could influence the stock’s movement and provide further insights into its performance.
Recent options activity indicates a surge in bearish positions by institutional investors or high-net-worth individuals towards Snowflake (SNOW). This negative outlook, represented by 81% of large-scale trades, may signal potential upcoming events that could impact the company’s stock performance. Traders are advised to monitor these significant trades and consider their potential implications for SNOW’s future trajectory.
