The ASX share reporting season is ramping up, and I'm keeping my eyes on a few particular reports that could deliver some interesting revelations.
We've already seen a few company reports this week, including some interesting early insights into the retail industry from Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK).
The last four and a half years have seen significant volatility in both share prices and profitability after the onset of COVID-19. We're about to get some insights into what's happening in the Australian economy after the painful inflation and interest rate hikes.
I'm looking forward to a number of results, but the three below are particularly interesting to me. Keep an eye out for them on the Motley Fool's August 2024 earnings calendar.
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Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)
CBA is, by far, the biggest ASX bank share, and it's the only one of the major banks that's going to deliver its full-year result in August – the other banks have a different reporting cycle.
We've seen CBA's arrears steadily climb in the last couple of results, so I'm monitoring whether more borrowers are falling behind. The higher house prices are helping reduce the risk of bad debts for CBA, but it doesn't help the bank's cash flow if some borrowers are falling behind.
I'm also interested to see whether CBA has managed to protect its market share in the mortgage market. The ASX bank share has also been working on growing its position in the business lending market, so I'll be interested to see what its growth rate has been in this segment.
As one of the most widely held companies, CBA's performance is essential for the ASX share market. The ASX bank share will report its earnings for FY24 on Wednesday (14 August).
Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)
Temple & Webster is a growing online retailer of furniture and homewares.
I'm a shareholder in the company, so I have a vested interest in its success.
With the upcoming result, the numbers might reveal how the retail sector is generally performing, and it could also tell us whether digital adoption has returned to growth after the one-off boost from the COVID-19 period.
Temple & Webster has also been talking about how it has implemented AI in its business operations. The company has explained this can help improve its customer service and grow profit margins, so it will be interesting to see if those aims are being fulfilled.
I'm also interested to see whether the ASX share is able to tell the market it's expecting profit margins to rise in FY25. Temple & Webster will report its earnings on Tuesday (13 August).
Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)
As one of the largest supermarket businesses, Coles played its part in the Australian inflation story over the past couple of years.
I'm curious to see Coles' commentary on inflation and whether the inflation rate has reduced further or rebounded somewhat.
We've also seen Coles' sales growth outperform Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) in 2024, so it will be interesting to see whether that trend continues. The most important figure of all may be the sales figure for the first few weeks of FY25.
Finally, Coles has been building a reputation as an ASX dividend share with a rising payout, so hopefully, shareholders can receive another pay rise.
Coles will deliver its earnings report on Tuesday, 27 August.
