Kimberly-Clark Earnings Preview

Kimberly-Clark KMB announces its next round of earnings this Friday, July 23. Here is Benzinga's look at Kimberly-Clark's Q2 earnings report.

What Are Earnings, Net Income, 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

Kimberly-Clark earnings will be near $1.74 per share on sales of $4.78 billion, according to analysts. Kimberly-Clark EPS in the same period a year ago totaled $2.2. Revenue was $4.61 billion.

Why Analyst Estimates And Earnings Surprises Are Important

Analysts who cover this company will publish forward-looking estimates of its revenue and EPS each quarter. Averaging together every EPS and revenue prediction that each analyst makes about a company in a quarter yields the "consensus estimates." A company posting earnings or revenue above or below the consensus estimate is known as an "earnings surprise" and may move the stock by a considerable margin.

The analyst consensus estimate would represent a 20.91% decrease in the company's earnings. Revenue would be up 3.64% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Kimberly-Clark were trading at $135.44 as of July 21. Over the last 52-week period, shares are down 8.29%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are probably upset going into this earnings release.

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