Mondelez International's Earnings: A Preview

Mondelez International MDLZ releases its next round of earnings this Monday, November 02. Get the latest predictions in Benzinga's essential guide to the company's Q3 earnings report.

What Are Earnings, Net Income, And Earnings Per Share?

Earnings and EPS are useful metrics of profitability. Total earnings also known as net income is equal to total revenue minus total expenses. Dividing net income by the total number of shares outstanding yields EPS.

Earnings And Revenue

Based on Mondelez International management projections, analysts predict EPS of $0.62 on revenue of $6.46 billion. In the same quarter last year, Mondelez International reported earnings per share of $0.64 on sales of $6.36 billion.

Why Analyst Estimates And Earnings Surprises Are Important

Wall Street analysts who study this company will publish analyst estimates of revenue and EPS. The averages of all analyst EPS and revenue estimates are called the "consensus estimates"; these consensus estimates can have a significant effect on a company's performance during an earnings release. When a company posts earnings or revenue above or below a consensus estimate, it has posted an "earnings surprise", which can really move a stock depending on the difference between actual and estimated values.

The Wall Street estimate would represent a 3.13% decline in the company's earnings. Sales would be have grown 1.65% from the same quarter last year. Mondelez International's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past like this:

Stock Performance

Shares of Mondelez International were trading at $53.19 as of October 29. Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 2.94%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders can be satisfied going into this earnings release.

Do not be surprised to see the stock move on comments made during its conference call. Mondelez International is scheduled to hold the call at 17:00:00 ET and can be accessed here.