Preview: Marsh & McLennan's Earnings

On Thursday, July 22, Marsh & McLennan MMC will release its latest earnings report. Here is Benzinga's outlook for the company.

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

Wall Street analysts see Marsh & McLennan reporting earnings of $1.42 per share on sales of $4.52 billion. In the same quarter last year, Marsh & McLennan announced EPS of $1.32 on revenue of $4.19 billion.

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

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 match the consensus estimate, earnings would be up 7.58%. Revenue would be have grown 7.9% from the same quarter last year. In comparison to analyst estimates in the past, here is how the company's reported EPS stacks up:

Want Real-Time Earnings Calendar Updates?

Benzinga consistently updates its earnings calendars to stay up-to-date with the latest company earnings reports. Check out the full earnings calendar list updated in real-time by following this link.

Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan were trading at $141.7 as of July 20. Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 23.99%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably happy going into this earnings release.

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