SunTrust Banks Earnings Preview: Revenue, Earnings Expected to Fall from Previous Quarter

It's time to get ready for SunTrust Banks STI earnings! Don't be caught off-guard: The company releases its next round of earnings this Friday, July 22, 2011.

Need to brush up a bit ahead of Friday's announcement? We've got just the thing. Here's your essential guide to SunTrust Banks' second quarter earnings report.

Let's Do the Numbers:

Ahead of the company's earnings announcement, analysts are expecting a positive EPS reading of 32 cents per share and revenues of $2.15 billion. We'll have to wait for Friday to see if SunTrust Banks reports a boost in EPS from the year-ago quarter, as analysts are predicting.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$0.13	$0.10	$0.00	$-0.34
EPS Actual	$0.22	$0.23	$0.17	$-0.11

Stock Performance:

Shares of SunTrust Banks were trading at $23.95 as of July 18, 2011. Since January 1st, shares of SunTrust Banks have declined 18.8%. For a full 12 months, the return has declined by 12.4%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are probably a little upset going into this earnings release.

• Long-term shareholders are already wary of 12-month losses prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for SunTrust Banks is a Hold. This rating has strengthened slightly over the past ninety days.

Competitors:

Looking for a sympathy stock to trade or interested in the performance of other companies in the same sector? Take a look at some of SunTrust Banks' peers.

• Bank of America BAC: Hold with a $0.17 recent quarter EPS
• BB&T BBT: Hold with a $0.32 recent quarter EPS
• Citigroup C: Moderate Buy with a $1.09 recent quarter EPS
• First Horizon National FHN: Hold with a $0.16 recent quarter EPS

The banks-major regional company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 0.3% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the main business areas of the company, in case you need a little refresher: SunTrust Banks is a financial services holding company whose businesses provide a range of financial services to consumer and corporate clients.

Take Action:

Now that you have reviewed all the numbers, be ready to move if the upcoming SunTrust Banks earnings report has any surprises. Also, come back to Benzinga after the announcement for a full recap and a guide to your next steps.

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