Earnings Outlook For American Superconductor

American Superconductor AMSC unveils its next round of earnings this Wednesday, June 02. Get prepared with Benzinga's ultimate preview for American Superconductor's Q4 earnings.

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

American Superconductor's per-share loss will be near $0.21 on sales of $19.57 million, according to Wall Street analysts. In the same quarter last year, American Superconductor posted EPS of $0.24 on sales of $18.14 million.

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 post earnings in line with the consensus estimate when it reports Wednesday, EPS would be up 12.5%. Revenue would be have grown 7.88% from the same quarter last year. Here is how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Stock Performance

Shares of American Superconductor were trading at $14.97 as of May 31. Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 108.85%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders should be content going into this earnings release.

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