Preview: Golar LNG's Earnings

Golar LNG GLNG releases its next round of earnings this Thursday, May 20. Get the latest predictions in Benzinga's essential guide to the company's Q1 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

Golar LNG EPS is expected to be around $0.05, according to sell-side analysts. Sales will likely be near $107.77 million. In the same quarter last year, Golar LNG reported a loss per share of $1.07 on revenue of $122.56 million.

What Are Analyst Estimates And Earnings Surprises, And Why Do They Matter?

Analysts who cover this company will publish forward-looking estimates of its revenue and EPS each quarter. Averaging together every EPS and revenue prediction that each analyst makes about a company in a quarter yields the "consensus estimates." A company posting earnings or revenue above or below the consensus estimate is known as an "earnings surprise" and may move the stock by a considerable margin.

The analyst consensus estimate would represent a 104.67% increase in the company's earnings. Revenue would be down 12.07% from the same quarter last year. Here is how the company's reported EPS has compared to analyst estimates in the past:

Stock Performance

Over the last 52-week period, shares of Golar LNG are up 70.88%.

Do not be surprised to see the stock move on comments made during its conference call. Golar LNG is scheduled to hold the call at 10:00:00 ET and can be accessed here.