Key Earnings Previews for the Week Ahead (RENN, ADBE, BKS, CCL, CAAS, CMC, GRB, JBL, JEF, WAG, BBBY, KMX, FDX, PAYX, RHT, CAG, HRB, LEN, MU, ORCL, RAD)

Earnings season is supposed to be over.  Guess again.  This coming week is going to feel like the earnings floodgates are open and the companies reporting have market-moving and sector-moving abilities.  Monday brings Renren Inc, (NYSE: RENN).  Tuesday we get to see earnings from Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), Barnes and Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS), Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL), China Automotive Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CAAS), Commercial Metals Co. (NYSE: CMC), Gerber Scientific Inc. (NYSE: GRB), Jabil Circuit Inc. (NYSE: JBL), Jefferies Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF), and Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG).  On Wednesday, we get earnings from the likes of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY), Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX), Fedex Corporation (NYSE: FDX), Paychex Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYX), and Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT).  We also have key reports on Thursday coming from the likes of ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG), H & R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB), Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN), Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU), Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL), and Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD).

We have given a detailed preview on each, shown effective price data, and added in color if applicable.  It is amazing to see this many companies with earnings due.

Renren Inc, (NYSE: RENN) has been a pig of an IPO and we will get to see if this is just another China bash or if there is anything real under the hood on Monday.  Thomson Reuters has no estimates yet. Shares are trading around $6.92 and the 52-week trading range is $6.55 to $24.00.  Renren was touted as “The Facebook of China” but its stock and the scandal from right before the earnings turned it into “The Face$%^& of China.”

Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) reports Tuesday and Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.51 EPS and $994.79 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.54 EPS and $1.02 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $30.67 and the 52-week trading range is $25.45 to $35.99.

Barnes and Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is interesting considering that it is at a premium to its implied buyout price.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of -$0.91 EPS and $1.39 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are -$0.88 EPS and $1.45 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $20.00 and the 52-week trading range is $8.45 to $20.46.

Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) is going to be interesting to see if the recent drop in fuel prices helps for its guidance on Tuesday.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.23 EPS and $3.52 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $1.77 EPS and $4.93 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $35.20 and the 52-week trading range is $29.69 to $48.14.

China Automotive Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CAAS) has been bashed of late.  It is no market-mover but it is a China stock.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.25 EPS and $95.7 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.28 EPS and $92.99 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $6.99 and the 52-week trading range is $6.30 to $21.49.

Commercial Metals Co. (NYSE: CMC) is not a market moving stock, but we want to use it for any current insight in the demand for metals when it reports on Tuesday.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.20 EPS and $2.07 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.36 EPS and $2.06 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $13.50 and the 52-week trading range is $12.12 to $18.20.

Gerber Scientific Inc. (NYSE: GRB) is a recent acquisition target and it has at least 7 law firms which have announced “investigations” into its sale price. Thomson Reuters has estimates for this coming Tuesday of $0.06 EPS and $116.65 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.02 EPS and $111.25 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $11.00 and the 52-week trading range is $4.64 to $11.12.

Jabil Circuit Inc. (NYSE: JBL) is due to report on Tuesday and the EMS operation may be used to analyze the world of tech manufacturing.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.57 EPS and $4.14 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.61 EPS and $4.3 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $18.25 and the 52-week trading range is $10.17 to $23.09.

Jefferies Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF) is still growing and it was skipped in much of the Wall Street meltdown.  It is due on Tuesday and some will try to use this as a tool to judge larger investment banks. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.40 EPS and $726.93 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.36 EPS and $676.12 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $21.26 and the 52-week trading range is $20.15 to $27.12.

Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) will be interesting to see considering that it just sold its PBM unit.  It reports on Tuesday.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.62 EPS and $18.33 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.55 EPS and $17.9 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $44.75 and the 52-week trading range is $26.26 to $47.11.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) is due Wednesday and Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.62 EPS and $2.07 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.82 EPS and $2.31 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $52.47 and the 52-week trading range is $35.55 to $57.90.  Anything coming on a dividend?

Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) is also due Wednesday and investors have used it as an “economic health: bogey for some time.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.47 EPS and $2.523 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.50 EPS and $2.61 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $29.30 and the 52-week trading range is $18.62 to $37.02.  No dividend at CarMax despite the premium they charge for their cars.

Fedex Corporation (NYSE: FDX) will be closely watched for shipping demand trends in the transport sector on its Wednesday earnings report. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $1.72 EPS and $10.42 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $1.42 EPS and $10.3 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $87.00 and the 52-week trading range is $69.78 to $98.52.

Paychex Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYX) will be watched on Wednesday for its ties to payrolls and what corporations are seeing for hiring trends.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.33 EPS and $515.91 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.38 EPS and $542.65 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $29.65 and the 52-week trading range is $24.65 to $33.91.

Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT) remains a high-beta stock with high valuations and it has been able to move further and further away from its old Linux “Office” suite to a corporate and enterprise Linux company. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.22 EPS and $253.58 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.23 EPS and $260.12 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $41.00 and the 52-week trading range is $28.20 to $49.00.

Conagra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is due Thursday for earnings from the food giant.  It is also one of the key defensive stocks that is a dividend winner in our recent group screen.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.48 EPS and $3.18 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.36 EPS and $2.93 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $24.75 and the 52-week trading range is $21.02 to $25.82.

H & R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) is also due on Thursday, but it will not have an impact on other financial stocks and it may even be hard to say that it can move Intuit.  What matters is that this was its key season because it included tax filings.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $2.15 EPS and $2.32 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are -$0.43 EPS and $268.39 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $15.30 and the 52-week trading range is $10.13 to $18.00.

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) is hard to imagine anything great but the homebuilders may be at an inflection point. Lennar actually still pays a small dividend.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.04 EPS and $643.1 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.14 EPS and $791.78 million in revenues.  Wait a second… There were no “-” in the numbers.  Amazing.  Shares are trading around $17.35 and the 52-week trading range is $11.93 to $21.54.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) will show what the largest DRAM maker in America thinks of the PC and peripheral markets with its earnings on Thursday.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.16 EPS and $2.35 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.23 EPS and $2.52 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $7.76 and the 52-week trading range is $6.36 to $11.95.  It is more than interesting just how much Micron is off from its highs.

Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the biggest company reporting this week and is a strong read on the health of the Enterprise spending market in tech.  Outside of impacting anyone and everyone, the key names to watch after will be Cisco, Microsoft, and IBM. Credit Suisse just added it to the U.S. Focus List with a $42 target.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.71 EPS and $10.75 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.46 EPS and $8.29 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $31.25 and the 52-week trading range is $21.24 to $36.50.

Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is on perpetual death watch and it is amazing that it keeps going while still losing money.  Earnings are due on Thursday for the stock that is “stuck at the buck.” Thomson Reuters has estimates of -$0.12 EPS and $6.36 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are -$0.18 EPS and $6.17 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $1.04 and the 52-week trading range is $0.86 to $1.47.

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JON C. OGG