Earnings Expectations For The Week Of September 16: FedEx, Oracle and More

Highlights on the earnings front this week will be the reports from FedEx FDX and Oracle ORCL. Analysts are looking for marginal year-over-year growth of earnings and revenues from both of them. Others on deck to share quarterly results this week include General Mills GIS, ConAgra Foods CAG, Rite Aid RAD and Darden Restaurants DRI. Here is a quick look at analysts' expectations from some the week's most prominent quarterly reports. See also: Weekly Preview: Fed Taper Decision Looming FedEx Analysts expect this leading global courier to say that per-share earnings grew more than four percent year-over-year to $1.52 in the fiscal first quarter. Also, revenues for the quarter are estimated to be about two percent higher to total $11.00 billion. Note that 60 days ago the consensus EPS estimate was $1.60, indicating falling sentiment among the analysts. However, the Memphis-based company topped EPS expectations in the fourth-quarter report. FedEx is scheduled to share its results early Wednesday morning. Oracle The third largest software maker by revenue is expected to report earnings of $0.56 per share for its fiscal first quarter. That would be up from EPS of $0.53 in the year-ago period. Revenues for the quarter are estimated to be more than three percent higher to $8.48 billion. Look for the earnings report Wednesday after the closing bell. Here, the consensus EPS estimate is the same as it was 60 days ago, though fourth-quarter EPS from this Redwood City, California-based company were in line with consensus estimates. And in the current quarter, analysts so far predict sequential and year-over-year growth of both EPS and revenue. General Mills In its report early Wednesday, this maker of Cheerios and Häagen-Dazs is expected to post fiscal first-quarter earnings that were four cents per share higher than in the year-ago period, or $0.70. The analysts seem confident, as their consensus EPS estimate is unchanged over the past 60 days. Revenues from this Minneapolis-based company are predicted to total $4.30 billion for the most recent quarter. That would be about six percent higher than a year ago. So far, revenue and EPS for the current quarter are expected to be higher, both sequentially and year-over-year. ConAgra Foods This Omaha-based packaged foods giant is expected to say Thursday before the markets open that for its fiscal first quarter it had earnings of $0.40 per share and $4.30 billion in revenue. In the same period of the previous year, it reported a profit of $0.44 per share on revenue of $3.31 billion. ConAgra exceeded analysts' EPS expectations by just a penny in the fourth quarter, but fell short by a penny in the report before that. The consensus EPS estimate for the most recent quarter slipped by a nickel in the past 30 days. So far, year-over-year growth of EPS and revenue is forecast for the current quarter. Rite Aid The fiscal second-quarter forecast for the third largest drugstore chain in the United States calls for a net loss of $1.37 per share and $6.27 billion in revenues. In the same quarter of the previous year, Rite Aid posted a smaller-than-expected $0.05 per share net loss and sales of $6.23 billion. The consensus EPS estimate for the second quarter is the same as it was 60 days ago. Rite Aid matched the earnings expectations in the first quarter. Look for the company to share its results Thursday before the markets open. See also: Wild Short Interest Swings In Barnes & Noble and Rite Aid Darden Restaurants Fiscal first-quarter earnings from this operator of the Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains are forecast to come to $0.70 per share in Friday morning's report. That would be down from $0.85 per share in the year-ago period. Earnings fell short of consensus EPS estimates by about three percent in the previous report. Based in the Orlando area, this company is expected to say that revenues totaled $2.20 billion in the first quarter, which would be higher than a year ago by about eight percent. Also, so far revenue growth and a marginal decline in EPS are forecast for the current quarter as well. And Others Other companies forecast to report year-over-year earnings growth this week include Cintas CTAS, IHS IHS, Intercontinental Hotels IHG and Pier 1 Imports PIR. Earnings declines are expected from Adobe Systems ADBE, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store CBRL, Tech Data TECD and TIBCO Software TIBX. Analysts are looking for net losses from Scholastic SCHL and Tower Group TWGP. The following week, look for quarterly reports from BlackBerry BBRY, Discover Financial Services DFS, Nike NKE and others.