Next Week's Can't Miss Earnings (CSCO, DIS, RAX, M, DV, JWN, LDK, SPWRA)

Earnings season seems to be coming to an end.  We still have major earnings on deck next week from some large companies.  Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) are the only two DJIA components we saw scheduled for earnings in the next week.  We also have key earnings from Rackspace Hosting, Inc (NYSE: RAX), Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), DeVry, Inc. (NYSE: DV), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA).  We have given a preview for each here with some trading color along with performance data going back to the June-July lows and back three months.

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the Big Kahuna on deck next Wednesday after the close.  We STILL want to know if John Chambers will ever get around to paying out a dividend.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.42 EPS and $10.86 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.42 EPS and $10.93 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading down about 4% versus 3-months ago to the day but the stock is up over 10% from the June-July lows.

Rackspace Hosting, Inc (NYSE: RAX) and The Rackers will be reporting their cloud-generated earnings and revenues from the website and data hosting growth.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.08 EPS and $186.83 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.09 EPS and $197.02 million in revenues.  Shares are trading up about 16% versus 3-months ago to the day and the gain from the lows in mid-July is also about the same.  Rackspace is not exactly the most important company in the world with a $2.4 billion market cap, but it offers a huge insight into the business of every independent business hosting and the cloud.

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is on deck Tuesday after the close.  Thomson Reuters has estimates for The Mouse House of $0.58 EPS and $9.37 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.50 EPS and $10.26 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading up almost 10% from the June-July lows and are trading up about 4% versus 3-months ago.  With new ticket hikes and its vast media initiatives, it will be interesting to see if Disney can live up to the beats that were seen by other media companies.

Wednesday morning will bring Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) for a good bogey on earnings.  The revenue picture is effectively already known because of the monthly sales data. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.28 EPS and $5.50 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.03 EPS and $5.48 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading up about 6% from the June-July lows and trading down over 10% versus 3-months ago to the day.

Thursday after the close we get DeVry, Inc. (NYSE: DV).  Normally this would be skipped, but the pressure in anything tied to for-profit education and continuing skills has been crushed.  After a 5% drop Friday, DeVry shares have a 52-week range of $47.56 to $74.37.  The thing to consider is that the past earnings might not matter.   It is all about guidance. Thomson Reuters has estimates for last quarter of $0.82 EPS and $487.18 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.96 EPS and $ 517.49 million in revenues.  This has lost more than one-third of its value compared to 52-week highs.

Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) is also on deck Thursday after the close, and we also know most of the revenue side because of monthly sales data.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.66 EPS and $2.40 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.50 EPS and $2.01 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading up about 3% from the June-July lows and the stock is down about 15% versus 3-months ago.

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA) are two of the key solar names for active traders and both companies report earnings next Tuesday.  These are not market-movers, but these could contribute big moves to the ever-volatile solar sector.  Thomson Reuters has estimates on LDK Solar of $0.22 EPS and $458.04 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.16 EPS and $422.03 million in revenues.  Shares are trading up more than 30% since the June-July lows and are trading up about 15% versus 3-months ago.  Thomson Reuters has estimates for SunPower of $0.10 EPS and $401.15 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.13 EPS and $458.13 million in revenues.  Shares are trading up about 4% from the June-July lows and down about 10% versus 3-months ago.

Keep in mind that there will likely be some slight adjustments on earnings for these companies as analysts make last-minute changes on estimates.

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JON C. OGG