Preview: JB Hunt Transport Servs's Earnings

On Monday, July 19, JB Hunt Transport Servs JBHT will release its latest earnings report. Decipher the announcement with Benzinga's help.

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

Analysts covering JB Hunt Transport Servs modeled for quarterly EPS of $1.55 on revenue of $2.70 billion. JB Hunt Transport Servs reported a profit of $1.14 per share when it published results during the same quarter last year. Sales in that period totaled $2.15 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.

The Wall Street consensus estimate for earnings would represent a 35.96% increase for the company. Sales would be up 25.82% 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

Over the last 52-week period, shares of JB Hunt Transport Servs are up 24.97%.

Do not be surprised to see the stock move on comments made during its conference call. JB Hunt Transport Servs is scheduled to hold the call at 17:00:00 ET and can be accessed here.