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Should You Buy, Sell or Hold DAY Stock Prior to Q4 Earnings Release?

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Dayforce (DAY - Free Report) is set to report its fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 5.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

DAY expects fourth-quarter 2024 revenues between $452 million and $457 million, indicating growth between 13% and 14% on a GAAP basis and between 13% and 15% on a constant-currency basis.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DAY’s fourth-quarter earnings is currently pegged at 46 cents per share, unchanged over the past 90 days, and indicating a year-over-year decline of 8%.

The consensus mark for DAY’s fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $455.21 million, indicating an increase of 13.89% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.

DAY beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, the average surprise being 21.50%.

Dayforce, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Dayforce, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Dayforce, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Dayforce, Inc. Quote

Factors to Consider

DAY is benefiting from an innovative portfolio that includes features like AI-powered Dayforce AI agents, enhanced Dayforce Wallet and Strategic Workforce Planning. These tools simplify complex workflows, automate repetitive tasks and enhance efficiency across HR, payroll, time tracking, talent management and analytics. The growing adoption of these features by existing and new clients is expected to have driven the company’s top line in the to-be-reported quarter.

DAY’s advanced solutions, such as Dayforce Communications and Dayforce Strategic Workforce Planning, likely contributed to the company’s performance during the fourth quarter.

Dayforce Communications enables HR to communicate effectively across the employee lifecycle, seamlessly integrating email, messaging and community chat features into a single platform.

Strategic Workforce Planning empowers business leaders with real-time, AI-driven data to make informed staffing decisions, improving efficiency and adaptability.

Furthermore, DAY’s strategic focus on resilient sectors like retail, hospitality and manufacturing is expected to have benefited its performance in the fourth quarter.

However, prolonged sales cycles noted in the third quarter of 2024, stemming from client hesitations and delayed decision-making, may have persisted into the fourth quarter, potentially impacting deal closures.

The re-platforming of the acquired Eloomi into DAY’s platform is expected to have introduced integration challenges or delays. These issues could have affected product delivery and slowed adoption or increased costs in the to-be-reported quarter.

Broader macroeconomic challenges, including inflationary pressures and rising interest rates, are also expected to have weighed on DAY’s results, limiting its near-term momentum.

What Our Model Says

Per the Zacks model, the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the exact case here.

Dayforce has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Stocks to Consider

Here are a few other companies worth considering, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings in their upcoming releases:

Akamai Technologies (AKAM - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.09% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Akamai Technologies’ shares have lost 19.8% in the trailing 12 months. AKAM is set to report its fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 20.

AMETEK (AME - Free Report) presently has an Earnings ESP of +0.54% and a Zacks Rank #2.

AMETEK shares have gained 10.6% in the trailing 12 months. AME is set to report its fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 4.

DoorDash (DASH - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +22.50% and a Zacks Rank #3. 

DoorDash shares have appreciated 74.6% in the trailing 12 months. DASH is set to report its fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 11.

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