Noble Energy Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Rising Revenue, Falling EPS Over Previous Quarter

Noble Energy NBL announces its next round of earnings this Thursday, July 28, 2011. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for this Thursday's second quarter earnings announcement.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are predicting an EPS reading of $1.32 per share and revenues of $919.1 million. Wall Street will be looking to see how this quarter's numbers compare to the year-ago quarter's positive EPS of $1.07 per share on revenues of $751 million. We'll have to wait for Thursday to see if Noble Energy falls in line with analyst expectations and reports an estimated increase in both EPS and revenue from the year-ago quarter.

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

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$1.16	$1.01	$0.81	$0.74
EPS Actual	$1.35	$1.04	$1.27	$1.07

Stock Performance:

As of July 22, 2011, Noble Energy's current share price was $97.57. Shares are up 13.8% year to date.

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Noble Energy is a Moderate Buy. This rating has strengthened over the past three months.

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 Noble Energy's peers.

• Anadarko Petroleum APC: Moderate Buy with a $0.73 recent quarter EPS
• Chevron CVX: Moderate Buy with a $3.09 recent quarter EPS
• EOG Resources EOG: Hold with a $0.68 recent quarter EPS
• Apache (APA): Moderate Buy with a $2.87 recent quarter EPS

The oil-US export and production company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 15.9% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Noble Energy is an independent energy company that acquires and produce crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids.

Take Action:

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