Top Earnings Previews For The Week Ahead (FMCN, TEA, URBN, PAY, P, AEO, PLCE, HRB, HOV, AONE, ALTR, BUD, RENN, SFD, WSM)

Earnings season is over for the most part, but we still have many companies that are widely held stocks due to release their earnings for the week ahead. We are tracking earnings due in the following shares: Focus Media Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: FMCN); Teavana Holdings Inc. (NYSE: TEA); Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN); VeriFone Systems Inc. (NYSE: PAY); Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P); American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO); Children’s Place Retail Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE); H and R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB); Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV); A123 Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE); Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR); Anheuser Busch Inbev SA (NYSE: BUD); Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN); Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD); and Williams Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM).

We have broken these out by day and included Thomson Reuters consensus data on each.  Color has been added on some of the names as well.

MONDAY, MARCH 5

Focus Media Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: FMCN) has already recovered handily from when alleged accounting woes were surrounding this company.  This is the outdoor advertiser in China.  Estimates are $0.61 EPS and $225.1 million in sales.

Teavana Holdings Inc. (NYSE: TEA) remains a premium company with great products and growth, but at a price for a small tea retail empire trading at close to 40-times next year’s expected earnings.  Estimates are $0.32 EPS on $67.8 million in sales.

Urban Outfitters Inc (NASDAQ: URBN) has recovered off of its lows but the company remains an early turnaround story.  The real question is what the growth opportunities are for the next decade compared to the growth of the last decade.  Earnings estimates are $0.20 EPS on $742.9 million in sales.

VeriFone Systems Inc. (NYSE: PAY) has estimates of $0.52 EPS on about $417.5 million in sales.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) remains in limbo and investors are still trying to get a better grasp on its business model as far as how it will make money.  The company surprised before.  Estimates are -$0.02 EPS on almost $83 million in sales and the market value is $2.2 billion.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) has estimates of $0.35 EPS and $1.05 billion in sales.

Children’s Place Retail Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE) has estimates of $0.89 EPS on just over $478 million in sales.

H and R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) is expected to report $0.05 EPS and $700 million sales, but next quarter is the tax-season money quarter and the estimates are currently $2.24 EPS on $2.11 billion in sales.  To emphasize how much the tax season matters, the entire fiscal year-end of April 2012 is expected to be $3.01 billion.

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) is expected to report -$0.47 EPS and $287.6 million in sales.  While this is a homebuilder and while it has been widely followed before, this is probably not going to be a sector-mover for homebuilders.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8

A123 Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE) is challenged with shares now down under $2.00 and a weak performance late in the week.  Estimates are -$0.41 EPS on almost $53.7 million in revenues.  It seems sad that lithium-ion batteries are not doing well and around $1.80 it has a 52-week range of $1.51 to $8.70.

Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR) is a ‘business update’ rather than a formal earnings release but investors will be watching its guidance.  Estimates are $0.37 EPS and $426.8 million in sales.

Anheuser Busch Inbev SA (NYSE: BUD) has estimates of $0.91 EPS and $9.9 billion in sales, but keep in mind that this is now translated from Euros now that this is not a U.S.-based company.

Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) is down massively from its 2011 IPO but it is still very actively traded as a Facebook knock-off in China.  Renren is expected to report earnings of $0.02 EPS and $32.3 million in sales.

Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) is expected to report earnings of $0.67 EPS and $3.5 billion in sales.

Williams Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM) is expected to report earnings of $1.13 EPS and $1.25 billion in sales.  Shares are down almost 15% from the 52-week high and the shares are still close to the consensus price target of $39.43.

Keep in mind on any of these companies that dates and estimates can change without notice.

JON C. OGG