Stocks To Watch: Meet The New Ford

Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Stocks to Watch - a preview of key events scheduled for the next week. Follow this account and turn the e-mail alert on to receive this article in your inbox every Saturday morning.

Investors head into next week with a bit of momentum after the S&P 500 Index notched out its fifth week in a row of gains. Solid earnings reports have helped to turn some heads away from the tariff drama, although the next hurdle to clear coud be fears on inflation and higher interest rates. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is due to release the July report on consumer prices on August 10. Economists expect a 0.2% M/M and 2.3% Y/Y rise in the core rate. There could be all kinds of interesting read-outs from the report as tariffs work their way into certain categories [think Whirlpool (WHR) and Coca-Cola (KO)] and healthy consumer spending trends allow some retailers to push up prices [think Macy's (M) and Kroger (KR)]. Looking ahead, higher prices could drift into other areas in Q3 based on conference call comments from consumer goods giants such as Procter & Gamble (PG), Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Clorox (CLX).

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Notable earnings reports: Zillow (ZG), Tyson Foods (TSN) and Marriott International (MAR) on August 6; Disney (DIS), 3D (DDD) and Snap (SNAP) on August 7; Booking Holdings (BKNG), Yelp (YELP), CVS (CVS), Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) and Mylan (MYL) on August 8; News Corp. (NWSA), Viacom (VIAB) and Universal Display (OLED) on August 9; Ruth's Hospitality (RUTH) and Applied Industrial Technology (AIT) on August 10. See Seeking Alpha's Earnings Calendar for the complete list of earnings reporters.

Spotlight on Disney: The House of Mouse is expected to report 7% revenue growth in Q2 to $15.35B and EPS of $1.95. The update from Disney is about much more than just the Fox asset pursuit. The updates on the studio pipeline, theme park traffic and growth of ESPN+ will all be closely watched.

IPOs expected to price: Mesa Air (MESA), Amalgamated Bank (AMAL) and Vaccinex (VCNX) are all expected to price on August 7. Mesa Air is an U.S. airline that is a feeder for United Airlines (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL), with major hubs in Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and D.C.

IPO lockup expirations: Evolus (EOLS), Cactus (WHD), Humai (HMI), Victory Capital (VCTR) on August 7; Quintana Energy Services (QES) and Cardlytics (CDLX) on August 8.

Projected dividend increases: Andeavor (ANDV) to $0.64 from $0.59, Broadridge (BR) to $0.425 from $0.365, Microchip (MCHP) to $0.364 from $0.3635, SunTrust Banks (STI) to $0.50 from $0.40, Tyson (TSN) to $0.375 from $0.30, Badger Meter (BMI) to $0.15 from $0.13, Cable One (CABO) to $2.00 from $1.75, J2 Global (JCOM) to $0.425 from $0.415, Nordson (NDSN) to $0.34 from $0.30, Steris (STE) to $0.34 from $0.31, United Community Banks (UCBI) to $0.16 from $0.15.

Ford: A top Ford (F) exec is due to present at JPMorgan's 2018 Auto Conference in New York City. Topics promised by the company to be discussed are Ford's $25.5B target for cost and efficiency opportunities through 2022 and details on the plan to allocate capital to a high-margin growth portfolio. Investors can also expect more information on product development and the move by the automaker to five modular, flexible architectures from nine global platforms. Ford's share price drop into the single digits last week gives the talk a little extra significance. Other companies presenting at the JP auto gathering include Cooper Tire & Rubber (CTB), Aptiv (APTV), Tenneco (TEN), Dana (DAN), Visteon (VC), Cars.com (CARS) and Gentherm (THRM).

Tesla-watching: While the timing is uncertain, Tesla's (TSLA) 10-Q filing could drop next week in an action that will send Wall Street analysts and Seeking Alpha sleuths scrambling. In the past, the 10-Q has contained all kinds of nuggets and data points that have added to the debate on the EV automaker. There's also a decent chance that one of rating agencies could update on Tesla's debt profile.

Upcoming stock splits: The effective date for the 10-for-1 First National Bank of Alaska (OTCQX:FBAK) stock split is August 10.

Fuel for thought: The auto industry is sizing up the impact of the Trump administration freezing fuel economy standards at 35 mpg from 2020-2026 and pushing to revoke a waiver that allows California to set its own fuel economy standards. Height Capital Market thinks that on the surface the proposal would benefit automakers like Ford and General Motors (GM) as lowering the fuel economy standards reduces the pressure on manufacturers and their related retailers to push electric vehicles, although the regulatory uncertainty could keep investors on the sidelines. Height say it's skeptical of the legality of rescinding the waiver that allows California to set its own emission standards for vehicles, and warns of a topsy-turvy world of two standards. A byproduct of the fuel economy battle could be that Green Plains (GPRE) sees a surge in demand and fuel retailers like Murphy’s USA (MUSA) could sell higher octane blends for a premium, observes the investment firm.

Analyst/investor meetings: Blueknight Energy Partners (BKEP) on August 6-7; O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY) on August 7; Freshpet (FRPT) on August 8.

Monthly sales updates: Franklin Resources (BEN) on August 8; TD Ameritrade (AMTD) on August 9.

Mail check: The Presidential task force is due to make a recommendation on changes to the U.S. Postal Service and package rates sometime before August 10. Any surprises could impact UPS (UPS), FedEx (FDX), Stamps.com (STMP) and even frequent Trump target Amazon (AMZN).

Industrials in focus: The Jefferies 2018 Global Industrials Conference is scheduled to take place on August 7-9 in New York City. JP says the three-day conference will be comprised of company presentations, keynotes and thematic panel discussions. Participants include Viashy Precision Group (VPG), Intrexon (XON), Universal Stainless (USAP), Trecora Resources (TREC), REV Group (REV), Quaker Chemical (KWR), Mercury Systems (MRCY), Beacon Roofing (BECN), Amyris (AMRS), Watsco (WSO), Graphic Packaging (GPK), Ecolab (ECL) and Leidos (LDOS).

M&A watch: All eyes will be on the vote at Rite Aid (RAD) on August 9 to see if shareholders approve the Albertsons deal.

CBS: Ronan Farrow could drop another story this week on CBS (CBS) chief Les Moonves with new allegations, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Amazingly, the company sailed right through its earnings conference call without a single question from Wall Street analysts on the Moonves story and potential implications. On the outside looking in, BTIG's Rich Greenfield told the conference call analysts to "get a spine" with obvious questions on succession, the annual meeting postponement and timing of the internal CBS investigation sitting on the tee. Shares of CBS are down 8.9% since the first Farrow story broke.

Restaurant check: Black Box Intelligence is due to update on restaurant sales in July. Restaurant same-store sales rose 1.1% in June in a sign of improvement. Higher guest spending helped offset the 1.7% decline in comparable traffic during the month. For the first six months of the year, average check is up 2.9% to top the 2.2% pace seen last year. Restaurant stocks have been selling off recently as Q2 earnings have generally arrived on the soft side. Chains seeing a 5% loss or more over the last week include Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (RRGB), Cheesecake Factory (CAKE), Zoe's Kitchen (ZOES), Del Frisco Restaurant Group (DFRG), Brinker International (EAT), Bloomin' Brands (BLMN) and Texas Roadhouse (TXRH). Outliers on the positive side include Habit Restaurants (HABT) +30%, Wingstop (WING) +15%, Domino's Pizza (DPZ) +7% and Dine Brands Global (DIN) +4%.

Mylan: The company is expected to update on the status of a generic of Allergan's (AGN) dry eye disease therapy Restasis during its earnings conference call on August 8.

Chipotle: Following a week that saw a huge surge in digital orders and another health scare, Chipotle is dialing up the promotions again. The restaurant chain is offering free delivery all weekend through its partnership with DoorDash. Don't underestimate Chipotle's huge digital push, the company's app topped the Apple app store for activity on August 1. Shares of Chipotle are up 59% YTD.

MGM: Look for some updates on MGM Resorts (MGM) from Wall Street analysts after a dizzying week of news from the casino operator. In just the last five days, MGM has reported Q2 earnings, struck a significant partnership with Boyd Gaming (BYD), formed a joint venture with GVC Holdings, announced plans to acquire the Empire City Casino in New York and announced a huge deal with the NBA.

Box office: Mission: Impossible - Fallout looks to hold on to the top spot in the U.S. after a huge opening weekend. The latest MI installment is expected to bring in $32M vs. the $29M Disney's debuting Christopher Robin is seen tallying up. Lionsgate's (LGF.A) The Spy Who Dumped is anticipated to bring in $13M to finish a distant third over the weekend.

Barron's mentions: Apple (AAPL) has room to run beyond a $1T market cap, reasons Jack Hough. "Apple compares well with the broad market on measures of risk, financial strength, and growth potential, which means it arguably deserves a premium valuation. It wouldn’t take much of one to send shares 20% higher over the next year," he notes. As the FANG magic starts to wear thin with investors, Lawrence Strauss says the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats are worth a look. The list of aristocrats includes Medtronic (MDT), Target (TGT), Procter & Gamble (PG), Sysco (SYY) and Clorox (CLX). Upside is seen on gene-editing specialist CRISPR Technology (CRSP).

Sources: EDGAR, Bloomberg, CNBC and Reuters.

Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.