ALC - Q4

The first quarter of the year was an eventful one. With protestors rioting in the Capitol, a new administration taking over, and a world trying to recover from COVID-19, there was no shortage of news in Q1. One of the biggest headlines was the emergence of “meme” stocks after a frenzy of retail investors banded together to drive up prices of specific companies in mid-January and February. Through the use of Reddit and other social media platforms, retail investors were able to actively target some of the most highly shorted stocks in the markets to try to force a short squeeze on hedge funds.

The investor relations community has just wrapped up the third calendar quarter. Most teams are now in a quiet period, working closely with their internal partners to make sure the books are closed and the results are fully understood. These partners include groups such as Financial Planning & Analysis, Corporate Accounting, External Reporting, and Legal. For all these teams, having worked in a remote environment for nearly all of the past six months, the prospect of preparing for another virtual earnings call this quarter doesn’t seem quite so daunting. However, some teams are beginning a dialogue on another topic – guidance.