Burlington Stores's Earnings: A Preview

Burlington Stores BURL unveils its next round of earnings this Thursday, May 27. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for the earnings announcement.

Net Income, Earnings, And Earnings Per Share

Earnings and especially earnings per share (EPS) are useful measures of a company's profitability. Total earnings, which is also referred to as net income, equals total revenue minus total expenses. EPS equals to net income divided by the number of shares outstanding.

Earnings And Revenue

Based on management's projections, Burlington Stores analysts model for earnings of $0.83 per share on sales of $1.77 billion. In the same quarter last year, Burlington Stores posted EPS of $4.76 on sales of $801.52 million.

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 consensus estimate for earnings would represent a 117.44% increase for the company. Sales would be up 120.83% on a year-over-year basis. Here is how the company's EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Stock Performance

Shares of Burlington Stores were trading at $321.79 as of May 25. Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 54.99%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably content going into this earnings release.

Do not be surprised to see the stock move on comments made during its conference call. Burlington Stores is scheduled to hold the call at 08:30:00 ET and can be accessed here.