Stanley Black & Decker Earnings Preview: 87% Surge in Revenue Expected (SWK)

Stanley Black & Decker SWK is on tap to report first-quarter 2011 results after the market closes on Tuesday, April 26. Analysts expect the company to announce that per-share earnings rose 30.7% from a year ago to $1.01. Note that the consensus estimate has remained steady over the past 90 days. Revenue for the quarter is expected to have jumped 87.6% to $2.4 billion. In February, Connecticut-based Stanley Black & Decker boosted its annual dividend by 21%. That was the 44th consecutive annual dividend increase for the company, which is a top U.S. toolmaker, as well as a provider of security and industrial products and services. Stanley Black & Decker has a strong presence in emerging markets and should perform well as the global economic expansion continues. Looking ahead, analysts thus far expect to see sequential and year-over-year growth of both earnings and revenue in the second quarter. Earnings have handily topped consensus forecasts in recent reporting periods. Sales in the fourth quarter more than doubled year-over-year, while earnings per share beat estimates by 13.6%. The company attributed these strong results to the effects of the 2010 merger of Stanley Works and Black & Decker. Shares are trading near their recent 52-week high of $77.47. SWK has outperformed the broader market, as well as competitors such as Danaher DHR and Snap On SNA, since the beginning of the year. Stanley Black & Decker will discuss its first-quarter results in a conference call at 10:00 AM ET on Wednesday, April 27. See the company's website for directions on how to listen in on the call or to catch the live webcast.