Bristol-Myers Squibb Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Rising Revenue, Falling EPS Over Previous Quarter

Bristol-Myers Squibb BMY releases its next round of earnings this Thursday, July 28, 2011. Get the latest predictions in Benzinga's essential guide to the company's second quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are looking ahead to a positive EPS of 55 cents per share and revenues of $5.04 billion. Wall Street will be looking to see how this quarter's numbers compare to the year-ago quarter's positive EPS of 54 cents per share on revenues of $4.77 billion. We'll have to wait for Thursday to see if Bristol-Myers Squibb has accomplished the estimated 1.9% rise in EPS and 5.7% increase in revenues on a year-over-year basis.

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

Stock Performance:

As of July 22, 2011, Bristol-Myers Squibb's current share price was $29.49. Since January 1st, shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb have given investors a return of 15.5%. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 12.3%. 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 Bristol-Myers Squibb is a Hold. Over the past three months this rating's strength has declined slightly.

Competitors:

Want to check out the performance of Bristol-Myers Squibb closest competitors? Take a look at some of the company's peers in the healthcare sector.

• Abbott Laboratories ABT: Hold with a $1.12 recent quarter EPS
• AstraZeneca plc (ADR AZN: Hold with a $2.07 recent quarter EPS
• GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR GSK: Hold with a $1.01 recent quarter EPS
• Johnson & Johnson JNJ: Moderate Buy with a $1.28 recent quarter EPS

Bristol-Myers Squibb is in the large-cap pharmaceutical industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 2.9%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global company which develops, manufactures and sells pharmaceutical products.

Take Action:

There is your peek into Bristol-Myers Squibb's upcoming earnings numbers, including some competitors to watch around the time of the announcement. Check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap of the announcement. In the meantime, here are some links to explore today.

• To see up-to-date news on Bristol-Myers Squibb, click here
• To see other trading ideas, click here
• To see other company earnings recaps, click here