Top Earnings Previews for the Rest of the Week (P, AEO, PLCE, HRB, HOV, AONE, ALTR, BUD, RENN, SFD, WSM)

Earnings season is over for the most part, but we still have many widely held companies which are due to report earnings this week.  We have compiled earnings previews for the following shares: 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.

Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) reports after the close on Tuesday 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 just over $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. With where its stock is around $14.50, this looks fairly valued so it will likely take good news or bad news to move the stock.

Children’s Place Retail Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE) has estimates of $0.91 EPS on just over $478.1 million in sales.

H&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.  Next quarter targets are $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 $287.66 million in sales.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8

A123 Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE) failed to rally on Tuesday’s construction news.  Estimates are -$0.51 EPS on almost $48.5 million in revenues.  Shares are well under $2.00 now.

Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR) is a ‘business update’ rather than a formal earnings release.  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.  We would remind investors that this is now translated from Euros now that this is not a U.S.-based company.

Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) is still down and out 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 almost $32.3 million in sales. Next quarter estimates are -$0.04 EPS on almost $30.9 million in sales.

Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) is expected to report earnings of $0.66 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 $39.57.

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

JON C. OGG