Read the room: Why quarterly earnings conference calls are worth a listen

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Looking for investment guidance? It could be a (conference) call away.

© Brian Jackson/stock.adobe.com

The quarterly earnings conference call is a long-running practice for most U.S.-based, publicly traded companies. Typically held soon after a company releases quarterly earnings results, the calls provide a platform for CEOs to explain their numbers and assess the business landscape—and for Wall Street analysts to ask questions. But sometimes it’s not the numbers that are the story of the day, and that’s one reason why investors should “listen up” during earnings season.

Imagine being a fly on the wall of a corporate boardroom where CEOs and other executives discuss their business: how it’s doing, where it’s been, where it’s going. That’s one way to look at the quarterly earnings conference call, which offers an opportunity to step away from the daily digital deluge and apply good, old-fashioned human communication skills to inform your investing strategy.

The quarterly earnings call is a teleconference or webcast that is typically preceded by a press release announcing a company’s latest quarterly results. (The company files its 10-Q quarterly results statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission at the same time.)

Although it’s not required by law, most U.S.-based, publicly traded companies listed on major exchanges hold quarterly earnings calls, which are free and open to the public. (Investors are typically in “listen-only” mode.)

Companies usually announce the date and time of the calls a few weeks in advance, and the calls can be accessed via the company’s website, often under “Investor Relations.” The calls typically last 30 to 60 minutes and are often archived on the company site (sometimes with transcripts of the calls).

Numbers matter, but so do words. A company’s earnings per share, revenue, and other key financial metrics are often forecast well before earnings day, so the numbers may or may not come as a surprise to Wall Street. But sometimes a CEO’s comments during an earnings call can throw the Street a curveball—say, with an unexpectedly gloomy or upbeat outlook on profit prospects or business conditions (what the pros call “guidance”).

Such “color commentary” can move a company’s share price, even if only for a few seconds. That’s one reason why investors who are listening in may want to call up a one-minute chart of the stock and watch how it moves during the course of the call. Any sharp movements may reflect shifting sentiment among market professionals trading the stock (see figure 1).

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Figure 1: GUIDING LIGHT. Sometimes a stock moves one way after the earnings numbers are released, but reverses course during or after the conference call.

Image source: StockCharts.com. Annotations: Encyclopædia Britannica. For illustrative purposes only.

The earnings call is an opportunity for investors to “read the room,” so to speak. Investors considering buying a company’s stock would be wise to listen to the most recent earnings call to make sure its share price and what’s been publicly reported meshes with what management says. Any apparent disconnect could be a red flag—or a signal the stock is undervalued.

Earnings calls usually unfold in three to four segments, including:

Safe harbor statement. At the beginning of a call, the chief financial officer or another company executive will read what’s known as a “safe harbor” disclaimer, which serves as a warning to listeners that what’s about to be said may be “forward-looking” and could differ from the company’s future results.

Safe harbor statements stem from the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, which was passed by Congress in 1995. The act aims to limit businesses’ liability if an earnings-per-share projection or other financial projection doesn’t come to pass.

Presentation and discussion of financial results. After the safe harbor statement, the CFO or head of investor relations typically walks listeners through the past quarter’s results, often reciting words or numbers more or less verbatim from the earnings statement. The CEO then steps in and may expand on results or industry fundamentals, comment on any recent merger, acquisition, or other business activity, and maybe throw out praise to the company’s workers.

Q&A with analysts. The last 30 minutes or so, when the company takes questions from Wall Street analysts, can be the most interesting part of an earnings call—including the potential for share-price-moving statements.

Investors should have ears wide open and try to gauge inflection, nuance, and tone as the CEO or CFO answer questions. If a CEO seems more optimistic or pessimistic than they did three months ago, that may say something about the company’s profit and share price outlook. If a CEO seems impatient or testy with analysts’ line of questioning, or keeps referring back to statements in the press release, that’s also worth noting.

Any apparent theme or thread in analysts’ questions is also worth listening for. If the same or similar questions keep getting asked, that could be a sign Wall Street wasn’t especially satisfied or enlightened by what the company reported and needs more information.

Watching the movement of the company’s share price during the call can also help investors get a sense of the market’s sentiment toward the company.

Thanks to digital technology, investors today have access to more information than ever about companies and markets, and there is such a thing as information overload. But basic communication skills that have been around forever, like talking, listening, and reading body language, are still important. That’s why quarterly earnings conference calls can be a valuable way for investors to get “in the room” with the leaders of the companies they follow.