Preview: Peoples Bancorp's Earnings

On Tuesday, July 20, Peoples Bancorp PEBO will release its latest earnings report. Benzinga's report can help you figure out the ins and outs of the earnings release.

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

Peoples Bancorp EPS will likely be near $0.65 while revenue will be around $54.66 million, according to analysts. Peoples Bancorp earnings in the same period a year ago was $0.23 per share. Quarterly sales came in at $49.52 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.

If the company were to report earnings in line when it publishes results Tuesday, quarterly profit would be up 182.61%. Revenue would be up 10.37% on a year-over-year basis. In comparison to analyst estimates in the past, here is how the company's reported EPS stacks up:

Stock Performance

Shares of Peoples Bancorp were trading at $28.69 as of July 16. Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 34.5%. 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. Peoples Bancorp is scheduled to hold the call at 11:00:00 ET and can be accessed here.