World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:WWE) is an American entertainment company that is most well-known for professional wrestling programming. The company has also branched out into other fields, including movies, football, and various other business ventures. In most recent news, on Dec. 11, WWE announced an agreement to expand its partnership with IB SPORTS in South Korea.

So far this year, the wrestling giant's performance has notably defied Wall Street's expectations. The company has managed to beat analysts' earnings expectations on a consistent basis in 2020, and often by considerable margins. Specifically, WWE beat expectations on all four of its most recent earnings reports. The company's biggest earnings beat was reported in the second quarter of 2020, when it reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.52, an incredible margin of $0.38. While the company isn't slated to report earnings again until early 2021, the company's outperformance on earnings compared to expectations should be noted. At this time, WWE will enter the earnings confessional on Jan. 14 with an expected EPS of $0.33.

WWE also has a forward dividend of $0.48 and a forward dividend yield of 1.05%. The company last paid a dividend of $0.12 in the third quarter of 2020. WWE has paid out dividends to investors since 2006.

Despite the positive year the company has had, World Wrestling Entertainment stock is still down 32.5% year-to-date, making its current price an intriguing potential entry point for investors. WWE did manage to hit a fresh annual high of $67.53 in early January, but fell all the way to $29.10 by mid-March.

Furthermore, WWE has unexpectedly grown its revenue and net income in 2020. The entertainment company added just about $100 million to its annual revenues and, more impressively, $110 million to its net income. These new figures mark a massive 140% increase in net income compared to what the company reported in 2019. In addition, the equity has now strung together quite a few years of top and bottom line growth. Perhaps most stunning is the company’s net profit growth over the last few years. WWE has produced $187 million in net profits in the past 12 months, which is exponentially more than the $32.6 million it ended the year with in 2017. World Wrestling Entertainment stock currently trades at a price-earnings ratio of 20.84.

Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:TACO) is a Mexican-American inspired fast-food restaurant chain that operates approximately 580 locations in the United States. Most recently, Del Taco has been focused on partnership efforts with high-profile companies like Beyond Meat (BYND) and DoorDash (DASH). While Del Taco first introduced Beyond Meat products to its menu innovations back in 2019, the company now hopes to reap the benefits of its early adoption with the growing popularity of imitation meat.

Del Taco stock has dug out of its March Covid-19 crisis lows near $3, but the double-digit area remains elusive since Oct. 15. Year-to-date, TACO is up 16%, with Oct. 16's 22% post-earnings bear gap finding support at the shares' 120-day moving average.

Options traders have been targeting puts with gusto. This is per TACO's 10-day put/call volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), that ranks six percentage points from an annual high. This indicates a much healthier-than-usual appetite for long puts of late. Echoing this, the stock's Schaeffer's open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.66 sits in the 94th percentile of its annual range, meaning short-term option traders have rarely been more put-biased. 

Regardless of direction, now could be a good time to weigh in on TACO's next move with options. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 59% stands in the low 9th percentile of all other readings, implying that options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment. 

From a fundamental perspective, an investment in Del Taco stock presents many issues for potential investors. The company’s balance sheet is far from what an investor wants to see. Del Taco currently holds $396.82 million in total debt with just $5.36 million in cash and cash equivalents. Del Taco has also seen a significant decrease in its net income over the past few years.

Back in 2017, the company generated nearly $50 million in annual net profit. Today, Del Taco is deep in the red, having taken $211 million in net losses over the past twelve months. Everything isn’t entirely bad for Del Taco stock, though; Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company was consistently growing its annual revenue. And yet even in the (hopefully) final throes of the coronavirus ,Del Taco’s revenue is still up $20 million from 2017.

Restaurant name Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) is mostly known for brands including Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, and The Capital Grille. Darden Restaurants has more than 1,800 restaurant locations and more than 175,000 employees, making it one of the largest full-service restaurant companies in the world.

Darden Restaurants is due to report earnings tomorrow before the open, Dec. 18 as it looks to end the year on a high note. DRI has beaten expectations on all four of its most recent earnings reports. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Darden Restaurants stock beat expectations by $0.05, reporting an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.12. In the first quarter of 2020, Darden Restaurants stock increased its EPS to $1.90, beating analysts' expectations by a margin of $0.02.

Then came COVID-19. DRI reported a huge decrease in earnings in the second quarter of 2020. Darden Restaurants stock reported a significantly chopped EPS of -$1.24, still beating expectations by a pretty big margin of $0.40. In the company's most recent quarter, DRI bounced back from the red and reported an EPS of $0.56. Darden Restaurants stock beat expectation by a considerable margin of $0.51. For the upcoming earnings report due out tomorrow, DRI is expected to report an EPS of $0.72.

Darden Restaurants stock also has a forward dividend of $1.20 and a forward dividend yield of 1.05%. Darden Restaurants last paid a dividend of $0.30 for the third quarter of 2020 after cutting its dividend in the second quarter of 2020. Darden Restaurants stock has paid dividends to investors since 1995.

In the last month, Darden stock has reclaimed its 12-month and year-to-date breakeven levels. The shares bounced off their 80-day moving average back in November to gap higher to an annual peak of $125.96. That's a far cry from DRI's March 18 11-year low of $26.15.

Darden Restaurants has undoubtedly seen decreases in revenue and profit in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. No breaking news there. The company has been heavily impacted because its business model had been dependent on the full-service experience for in-person dining, and in-person dining has been highly regulated due to COVID-19 precautions.

Darden Restaurants has lost more than $700 million in annual revenue when compared to what it produced in 2019. Bottom line, the company is standing at a net loss of $183.7 million just in the past 12 months. Compare this to 2019, where Darden Restaurants produced a net profit of $718.6 million. Adding to company's list of woes, Darden has racked up a massive $5.75 billion in debt this year, and the company’s balance sheet carries just $654.6 million in cash.

On the flip side, DRI's performance prior to 2020 was outstanding. The company had grown its net income by roughly 50% and added more than $1.3 billion in revenue over the span of just two years. Darden Restaurants seemed to have a winning business model before COVID-19 struck the entire restaurant industry. Now the company will have to wait and see if the same model will work post-pandemic, or if Darden Restaurants will need to permanently modify Its core business model.

It was a volatile day on Wall Street yesterday. Early on, dismal retail sales were released. Broad market tailwinds came from two sources on Wednesday. U.S. lawmakers were hopeful a $900 billion stimulus package, including a new round of direct payments to Americans, would be approved. Also, the Fed confirmed it will keep interest rates steady, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted the central bank would increase asset purchases if economic recovery slows. The Fed meeting concluded yesterday with several upbeat gross domestic product (GDP) projections.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI -30,154.54) dropped 44.8 points on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 3,701.17) added 6.6 points and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 12,658.19) added 63.1 points yesterday. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX - 22.50) lost 0.4 point during yesterday's trading session.

The stock market schedule is not slowing down today, featuring the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Manufacturing Index, as well as building permits and housing starts data. The usual initial and continuing jobless claims data will also be released today. 

For your convenience, we have rounded up the companies slated to release earnings today, December 17:

Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN -- $247.45) provides strategy and consulting, interactive, and technology and operations services. Accenture will report its first-quarter earnings of 2021 before the bell today.

CalAmp Corp. (NASDAQ:CAMP -- $10.81) provides in telematics systems, and software and subscription services. CalAmp will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today. 

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS -- $58.92) manufactures and markets branded consumer foods. General Mills will report its second-quarter earnings of 2021 before the bell today.

Jabil, Inc. (NYSE:JBL -- $41.06) provides manufacturing services and solutions. Jabil will report its first-quarter earnings of 2021 before the bell today.

Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAFM -- $141.09) produces, processes, markets, and distributes fresh, frozen, and prepared chicken products. Sanderson Farms will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Worthington Industries, Inc. (NYSE:WOR -- $52.53) is a metals manufacturing company. Worthington will report its second-quarter earnings of 2021 before the bell today.

AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR -- $34.29) provides products and services to commercial aviation, government, and defense markets. AAR Corp will report its second-quarter earnings of 2021 after the market closes today.

BlackBerry Limited (NYSE:BB -- $8.24) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments. BlackBerry will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today. 

FedEx Corporation (NYSE:BB -- $288.81) provides transportation, e-commerce, and business services. FedEx will report its second-quarter earnings of 2021 after the market closes today.

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ:SCHL -- $26.55) publishes and distributes children's books. Scholastic Corp will report its second-quarter earnings of 2021 after the market closes today.

Steelcase, Inc. (NYSE:SCS -- $13.66) manufactures and sells integrated furniture settings, user-centered technologies, and interior architectural products. Steelcase will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

Here is a quick recap of how Wednesday's earnings calls played out:

The Toro Company (NYSE:TTC -- $92.56) designs, manufactures, and markets professional and residential equipment worldwide. Earnings per share were up 33.33% over the past year to $0.64, which beat the estimate of $0.52. Revenue of $840,957,000 rose by 14.51% year over year, which beat the estimate of $772,140,000.

ABM Industries, Inc. (NYSE:ABM -- $41.10) provides integrated facility solutions. Earnings per share rose 4.55% year over year to $0.69, which missed the estimate of $0.70. Revenue of $1,484,600,000 decreased by 9.92% year over year, which beat the estimate of $1,430,000,000.

Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN -- $73.87) operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand. Earnings per share were up 32.39% year over year to $2.82, which beat the estimate of $2.37. Revenue of $6,826,000,000 decreased by 2.09% from the same period last year, which beat the estimate of $6,650,000,000.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, the weeks finally slows down on Friday. Last month's leading economic indicators will be reported, but that is all that is on the schedule for tomorrow. All economic dates listed here are tentative and subject to change.

The shares of retail chain Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) have been pulling back of late, flagging toward the 40-day and 80-day moving averages. However, this pullback leaves good buying opportunities for options traders, especially with the pullback support zone coinciding with WSM’s August and October peaks (at the $100 level). With this amount of support in place, and the equity up nearly 50% year-over-year, now is the perfect time to buy calls.

Looking at analyst attention, those covering the firm look to be leaning bearish. Specifically, 10 out of 13 analysts rate the equity a "hold" or worse. Should this bearish attitude begin to unwind, it could catapult the security even higher.
 
Elsewhere, shorts have been in building mode, evident by the fact that short interest has added 11% in the last two reporting periods. This accounts for less than 9.9% of the stock's total available float -- or just over a week’s worth of pent-up buying power.
 
Lastly, the security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 43% sits in the 19th percentile of its annual range. This means option traders are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment. WSM’s recommended call has a leverage ratio of 6.59, and will double in value on a 14.6% rise in the underlying security.

Subscribers to Schaeffer's Weekend Trader options recommendation service received this WSM commentary on Sunday night, along with a detailed options trade recommendation -- including complete entry and exit parameters. Learn more about why Weekend Trader is one of our most popular options trading services.

The shares of Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) are up 3.1% at $52.82 this morning, following an upgrade to "overweight" from "neutral" by J.P. Morgan Securities. The analyst said Twitter is well positioned to deliver sustainable growth in the new year, citing online advertising and industry re-growth in 2021.

The security is pacing for fresh six-year highs in response, and is on track for its fifth-straight win. While TWTR did suffer a sizable bear gap back in October, the shares quickly recovered, with help from the 80- and 100-day trendlines, and now sport an over 64% year-to-date lead. 

There's still plenty of room for the brokerage bunch to follow J.P. Morgan's lead. Just six covering TWTR called it a "strong buy," compared to 18 "hold" ratings, coming into today. Plus, the 12-month consensus price target of $44.14 is a 16.4% discount to current levels. 

While calls are still outnumbering puts on an overall basis, the options pits have been a bit more bearishly skewed than normal. This is per TWTR's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.35 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which stands higher than 76% of readings from the past year. 

The shares of Eli Lilly And Co (NYSE:LLY) are up 0.6% at $141.34 at last check. Longer term, the stock has been cooling off from its July 9, all-time-high of $170.75, and just yesterday night received a price-target cut from Mizuho to $156 from $164. However, traders shouldn't look away from the pharma giant just yet, as the the stock's recent pullback is near a historically bullish trendline.

More specifically, Eli Lilly stock just came within one standard deviation of its 320-day moving average, after spending several weeks above this trendline. According to data from Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White, four similar signals have occurred during the past three years. One month later, LLY enjoyed a 5.1% gain, 100% of the time. From its current perch, a move of similar magnitude would put the security above the $148 mark.

Also worth noting, traders are leaning bearish in the options pits. Should this pessimistic sentiment begin to unwind, it could send the equity even higher. This is per the stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.26, which sits higher than 77% of readings from the past year and suggests short-term option traders have rarely been more put-biased.

Now looks like a great opportunity to take advantage of LLY's next move with options. The security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 33% sits in the relatively low 26th percentile of its annual range. This means the stock is currently sporting attractively priced premiums.