Stocks to watch next week: CoreWeave, Cisco, Aviva, Entain and Persimmon

Yahoo

2 days ago

Earnings season is slowing down but next week several key companies are still set to release earnings, giving markets some insight into their performance and future prospects.
In the US, AI infrastructure CoreWeave (CRWV) will tell markets on Tuesday how its $9bn all-stock acquisition of Core Scientific is going along, following resistance from Core Scientific's shareholders due to CoreWeave's stock price decline since the merger announcement.
Markets are optimistic about Cisco (CSCO), who is set to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $0.98 per share on $14.63bn in revenue. The company has consistently surpassed Wall Street estimates so we'll find out Wednesday if it's the case once again.
In the UK, insurer Aviva (AV.L) will release its first results since acquiring Direct Line in a £6bn deal, with analysts divided on the short-term outlook.
Also in the UK but with a US reach, Entain (ENT.L) the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral will report its interim result on Tuesday. Markets will want to hear more about the performance of its US joint venture, BetMGM.
Persimmon (PSN.L), one of the UK's largest housebuilders, will on Wednesday offer a telling glimpse into the state of its own business, the housing market, and the broader UK economy.
Here's more on what to look out for:
CoreWeave (CRWV) - Reports second-quarter earnings on Tuesday 12 August
CoreWeave, the New Jersey-based AI infrastructure firm with a market capitalisation of roughly $59bn, is set to report its second-quarter earnings, with analysts predicting a loss of $0.21 per share on revenues of $1.08bn. The Zacks Consensus Estimate, which has remained unchanged for the past 60 days, puts the anticipated loss at 23 cents per share, while total revenue is projected to reach $1.08bn.
This will mark CoreWeave's (CRWV) second earnings release since it began trading publicly on March 28, 2025. The company, which focuses on providing scalable cloud infrastructure to support and accelerate generative AI has emerged as a key player in the AI data centre market.
In addition to its financial results, analysts are particularly interested in the company's ongoing $9bn all-stock deal to acquire Core Scientific (CORZ), a data centre landlord that provides computing power to major tech players such as Microsoft (MSFT) and OpenAI. The merger, announced in July, was seen by many on Wall Street as a strategic move to reduce costs for CoreWeave (CRWV) by eliminating roughly $10bn in lease obligations. Core Scientific, which operates AI data centres across the US, leases out its computing power to these tech giants.
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However, the deal has been met with resistance from some of Core Scientific's top shareholders. According to sources familiar with the matter, a number of these investors are preparing to vote against the merger unless the terms are adjusted. The core issue lies in the fixed ratio of 0.1235 newly issued CoreWeave (CRWV) shares offered to Core Scientific (CORZ) shareholders. This arrangement does not offer any protection if CoreWeave's stock price declines, which it has done significantly since the merger was first announced.
CoreWeave's stock has dropped by around 30% since the deal was made public on July 7, causing Core Scientific's valuation in the acquisition to fall from approximately $20.25 per share to just over $13 per share. This sharp decline in value has left Core Scientific shareholders concerned about the fairness of the deal, with many now fearing they will be left short-changed.
Cisco (CSCO) – reports fiscal fourth-quarter results on Wednesday 13 August
Cisco, the $270bn California-based networking giant, is set to release its results amid a quietly growing wall of optimism. Deutsche Bank (DB) recently highlighted 'improved visibility towards durable mid-single-digit growth in upcoming years', noting tailwinds from AI infrastructure, enterprise deployments and sovereign spending.
Cisco (CSCO) develops, manufactures and sells networking hardware, software, telecommunications equipment.
According to Koyfin consensus data, the market expects Cisco (CSCO) to report $0.98 in earnings per share (EPS) on $14.63bn in revenue, reflecting year-on-year growth of approximately 13% and 7%, respectively. The company has beaten Wall Street estimates for 11 consecutive quarters. Full-year 2025 revenue and EPS are forecasted to reach $56.62bn and $3.79, respectively, with mid-single-digit growth expected in fiscal 2026.
JPMorgan analysts have maintained their overweight rating on Cisco (CSCO), with a price target of $73.00. They cited anticipated revenue growth driven by the ongoing Campus upgrade cycle and the launch of the next-generation Catalyst-2026 switch series. This new product is expected to boost revenue by increasing both the average selling price and adoption rate.
Aviva (AV.L) – reports half-year results on Thursday 14 August
Insurer Aviva (AV.L) is set to release its first set of results since completing its takeover of Direct Line, following rival Legal & General's (LGEN.L) earnings a week earlier. The market is eager to see how the £6bn acquisition will impact Aviva's financials, with analysts divided on the near-term outlook.
Morgan Stanley analysts believe Aviva (AV.L) could exceed consensus forecasts, citing strong potential from the integration of Direct Line. However, UBS (UBS) analysts suggest investors will need to be patient, as a more detailed update on the integration won't come until later in the year. The insurer's management has targeted £125m in cost savings from the acquisition, a goal shared prior to the deal's completion.
In the meantime, dividends are expected to continue growing, with a yield forecast of 6.04% for 2025 and 6.48% for 2026. As of now, 10 out of 14 analysts rate the stock as a Buy or Strong Buy, reflecting optimism about the company's future.
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In Aviva's most recent full-year results, published on 27 February, operating profit rose 20% to £1.77bn, while the dividend climbed 7% to 35.7p a share. Looking ahead, the insurer is targeting £2bn of operating profit by 2026. General insurance premiums and assets under management also showed robust growth.
Entain (ENT.L) – Reports interim 2025 results on Tuesday, 12 August
Entain (ENT.L), the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, has seen its shares soar more than 40% since the beginning of the year, with some analysts predicting the strong momentum could continue. A key driver behind this surge has been the impressive performance of its US joint venture, BetMGM, which has turned profitable and continues to show robust growth.
In a recent second-quarter update, Entain (ENT.L) revealed that BetMGM is expected to generate net revenue of at least $2.7bn and EBITDA of at least $150m for the year. The company has lifted its annual guidance for BetMGM, thanks to ongoing strong online growth in the US.
For 2025, Entain (ENT.L) forecasts that BetMGM's net revenues will total at least $2.6bn, up from an earlier forecast of $2.4bn to $2.5bn. The company credited this upgrade to higher punter bets in internet gaming and online sports, noting that trading has been 'broadly consistent' with the 34% jump in net revenues achieved during the first quarter.
BetMGM, a joint venture between Entain and MGM Resorts, has been a growth engine for the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) bookmaker. Entain also expects BetMGM to deliver a minimum of $100m in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA), an improvement from prior predictions that it would just be positive.
For the wider business, analysts at Citi (C) expect modest revenue growth in both the full year and into 2026, with earnings per share forecast to rise by just over 2% in each of the next two years.
Persimmon (PSN.L) – reports first-half results on Wednesday 13 August
Persimmon (PSN.L), one of the UK's largest housebuilders, has seen its shares drop by more than 25% over the past year, despite broader market gains. Rising input costs, sluggish interest rate cuts, and housing affordability issues continue to weigh on the company, alongside the ongoing burden of fire safety and cladding remediation costs.
'Persimmon's shares have crumbled over the past year. They have fallen by more than a quarter, despite healthy gains from the headline indices. Input cost inflation remains an issue, as does housing affordability as interest rates come down only slowly, while the industry remains dogged by costs for fire safety and cladding remediation on historic projects. Taylor Wimpey (TW.L) has become the latest builder to set aside further provisions here," Russ Mould, AJ Bell investment director, Danni Hewson, AJ Bell head of financial analysis and Dan Coatsworth, AJ Bell investment analyst, wrote.
The company has already set aside £275m for fire safety provisions, but investors are closely watching key metrics like its £1.1bn order book.
Looking ahead, Persimmon has forecast between 11,000 and 11,500 completions this year, up from 10,664 in 2023. Analysts expect an operating profit of £447m, a 21% increase, largely due to a 4% rise in sales and the absence of last year's £36m in exceptional charges.
With £259m in net cash as of December, analysts predict a small increase in Persimmon's dividend for 2025, from 60p to 62p per share.
Other companies reporting next week include:
Monday 11 August
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS)
Barrick Mining (B)
AMC (AMC)
Hypoport (0JVS.IL)
ING Group (ING)
Marshalls (MSLH.L)
Plus500 (PLUS.L)
Salzgitter (SZG.MU)
Tuesday 12 August
Derwent London (DLN.L)
Sea Limited (SEAMECLTD.NS)
Spirax (SPX.L)
Wednesday 13 August
Balfour Beatty (BBY.L)
Beazley (BEZ.L)
Hill & Smith (HILS.L)
Thursday 14 August
Admiral (ADM.L)
Antofagasta (ANTO.L)
Applied Materials (AMAT)
Deere & Co (DE)
JD.com (JD)
NetEase (NTES)
Nu (NU)
Friday 15 August
Flowers Foods (FLO)
You can read Yahoo Finance's full calendar here.