24/7 Wall St. has put together a preview of some of the larger companies reporting in the first week of March. We have reviewed the consensus earnings estimates from Thomson Reuters and the stock price and trading history, as well as some additional color on each.

Stratasys

Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter earnings on Monday. The consensus estimates call for earnings per share (EPS) of $0.48 and $215.83 million in revenue.

The 3D printer shook investors earlier in February when it released 2015 fiscal year revenue guidance that was below consensus estimates. The company said its plan was to invest more in order to offer a broader range of products ahead of what it sees as manufacturers that are poised to increase adoption of additive manufacturing in various industries. In other words, they are boosting spending to maintain growth. The stock of competitor 3D Systems dropped over 5% on this news from Stratasys.

Shares traded at $62.06 as the week came to a close. The consensus price target is $78.05, and the stock has a 52-week trading range of $51.55 to $131.09.

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Abercrombie

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) is set to post its fiscal fourth-quarter results Monday morning. Consensus estimates call for EPS of $1.16 and $1.17 billion in revenue.

The question for this earnings report is whether Abercrombie can turn its fortunes around. The company has been pushing new lows since December, and these lows have become more pronounced as earnings draw near. Also, analysts have taken a sour tone with this company, and the most recent ratings in February have generally downgraded the stock and lowered its price target.

At the end of Friday’s trading session, shares were changing hands at $24.74. The consensus price target is $29.50. The 52-week trading range is $23.12 to $45.50.

Best Buy

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is scheduled to report its fiscal fourth-quarter results on Tuesday before the opening bell. The consensus estimates call for $1.35 in EPS and $14.35 billion in revenue.

Deutsche Bank analysts are optimistic for Best Buy ahead of this release. They are slightly ahead of current Wall Street estimates and point out that comparable sales for the nine-week holiday period increased 3.4% domestically and 2.5% companywide. That included the added benefit of about a 0.8% from mobile phone installment billing plans. With the discretionary money being a solid help, the stock could have a great quarter.

Shares closed trading at $38.10 Friday, below the consensus analyst price target of $41.22. The 52-week trading range is $23.87 to $40.03.

Wayfair

Wayfair Inc. (NYSE: W) will release its most recent quarterly results early Wednesday. The consensus estimates are a net loss of $0.28 per share on $368.80 million in revenue.

Wayfair just had its initial public offering (IPO) in early October, and that is when shares posted their 52-week high. Since that time, the stock has dropped by about 40% to current prices. When the quiet period was lifted for analysts, a majority of the firms gave the stock an Outperform or Buy rating, a fairly optimistic take given the post-IPO drop. Earnings will be a big factor in what analysts will have to say next.

In Friday’s trading session, shares ended at $23.35. The consensus price target is $35.10, and the post-IPO trading range is $16.74 to $39.43.

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Costco

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) is set to report its earnings on Thursday before the markets open. The consensus estimates are for EPS of $1.18 and revenue of $27.74 billion.

The discount giant will stop exclusively accepting American Express cards in the United States at the end of March 2016. Already this year, Costco has replaced American Express in Canada with MasterCard. Previously, American Express was the only credit card accepted at a store that had almost $113 billion in sales in its most recent fiscal year. In exchange for that exclusivity, Costco likely negotiated a lower discount rate from the credit-card company.

Shares ended the week at $146.96. The stock has a consensus price target of $150.65. Shares have traded between $110.36 and $156.85 in the past year.

Kroger

Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) is set to report its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings Thursday morning. Analysts are looking for EPS of $0.90 on $25.13 billion in revenue.

Kroger was one of the biggest stories out of all grocers for 2014, as it grew about 65% over the course of the year. The store now touts its own natural and organic foods with less expensive prices than competitor Whole Foods Market. More recently, Kroger led health and personal care stores with a score of 81 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Shares were changing hands at $71.15 on Friday’s close. The stock has a consensus price target of $70.06 and a 52-week trading range of $39.96 to $73.44.

Staples

Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) is scheduled to report its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings Friday morning. The consensus estimates are for $0.30 in EPS and revenue of $5.76 billion.

Staples recently announced that it would be acquiring Office Depot for $11 a share. The transaction is valued at $6.3 billion and would combine two of the largest office supply store chains in the United States. Office Depot shareholders will get $7.25 in cash and 0.2188 of a share of Staples stock at closing.

The share price was $16.76 when trading came to a close on Friday. The consensus analyst price target is $17.44, and the 52-week trading range is $10.70 to $19.40.

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