CONSOL Energy Earnings Preview: Revenue, Earnings Expected to Fall from Previous Quarter

CONSOL Energy CNX releases its next round of earnings this Thursday, July 28, 2011. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for this Thursday's second quarter earnings announcement.

Earnings and Revenue:

Wall Street expects a EPS of 76 cents per share and revenues of $1.41 billion. Investors will be keen to see how this quarter's numbers stack up against the year-ago quarter's positive EPS of 45 cents per share on revenues of $1.29 billion. We'll have to wait for Thursday to see if CONSOL Energy falls in line with analyst expectations and reports an estimated increase in both EPS and revenue from the year-ago quarter.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Stock Performance:

As of July 22, 2011, CONSOL Energy's current share price was $54.82. Since January 1st, shares of CONSOL Energy have given investors a return of 12.9%. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 39.8%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

• Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for CONSOL Energy is a Moderate Buy. The strength of this rating has declined slightly over the past three months.

Competitors:

Looking for a sympathy stock to trade or interested in the performance of other companies in the same sector? Take a look at some of CONSOL Energy's peers.

• Arch Coal ACI: Moderate Buy with a $0.36 recent quarter EPS
• Alliance Holdings GP, L.P AHGP: Hold with a $0.86 recent quarter EPS
• Alpha Natural Resources ANR: Moderate Buy with a $0.65 recent quarter EPS
• Peabody Energy BTU: Moderate Buy with a $1.11 recent quarter EPS

The coal company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 2.3% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Consol Energy is a coal and gas energy producer and energy services provider that mainly serves the electric power generation industry in the United States.

Take Action:

There is your peek into CONSOL Energy's upcoming earnings numbers, including some competitors to watch around the time of the announcement. Check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap of the announcement. In the meantime, here are some links to explore today.

• To see up-to-date news on CONSOL Energy, click here
• To see other trading ideas, click here
• To see other company earnings recaps, click here