Symantec Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Flat EPS Over Last Quarter

Symantec SYMC announces its next round of earnings this Wednesday, July 27, 2011. Here's Benzinga's advanced look at Symantec's first quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Ahead of the company's earnings announcement, analysts are expecting a positive EPS reading of 33 cents per share and revenues of $1.58 billion. Wall Street will be looking to see how this quarter's numbers compare to the year-ago quarter's positive EPS of 35 cents per share on revenues of $1.43 billion. We'll have to wait for Wednesday to see if Symantec reports a decline in EPS and a boost in revenue 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:

Stock Performance:

Shares of Symantec were trading at $19.03 as of July 21, 2011. Since January 1st, shares of Symantec have given investors a return of 13.7%. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 22.7%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

• Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Symantec is a Moderate Buy. The strength of this rating has declined slightly over the past three months.

Competitors:

Wondering how some of the other information technology companies are doing? Here are a few of Symantec's peers in that sector.

• CA CA: Hold with a $0.50 recent quarter EPS
• Hewlett-Packard Company HPQ: Hold with a $1.24 recent quarter EPS
• International Business Machines IBM: Moderate Buy with a $3.09 recent quarter EPS
• Intel INTC: Moderate Buy with a $0.56 recent quarter EPS

Symantec is in the computer software industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 3.6%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Symantec provides security, storage and systems management solutions to help businesses and consumers secure and manage their information.

Take Action:

Now that you have reviewed all the numbers, be ready to move if the upcoming Symantec 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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