Shortly after Wednesday’s opening bell, the Dow Jones industrials traded up 0.16%, the S&P 500 was up 0.32% and the Nasdaq was 0.63% higher.

After U.S. markets closed Tuesday, United Airlines reported earnings per share (EPS) and revenue that exceeded consensus estimates. The airline also raised first-quarter and full-year guidance sharply higher than consensus forecasts. Shares traded up 1.7% after Wednesday’s opening bell.

Before markets opened Wednesday morning, Charles Schwab missed both profit and revenue estimates. Schwab added $428 billion in new assets but suffered a drop of $1.5 trillion in market value to end the year with client assets of $7.05 trillion, down from about $8.14 trillion at the end of 2021. Shares traded down 3.3% a few minutes into the session.

Prologis beat consensus estimates on both the top and bottom lines. The commercial real estate investment trust lowered guidance for the new fiscal year, commenting that it likely will take a few quarters before the ship gets righted. Shares opened 1.6% higher Wednesday.

After U.S. markets close this, Alcoa, Discover Financial and Kinder Morgan will report results, and first thing Thursday morning, look for reports from KeyCorp, Procter & Gamble and Truist.

Here is a look at four companies set to report quarterly results later on Thursday or on Friday morning.

Ericsson

Stockholm-based network equipment maker Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has seen its share price drop by nearly 47% over the past 12 months. Shares plummeted last February following reports of Ericsson’s dealings with Iraq that may have inadvertently funded the Islamic State (ISIS). Last week, the company said it was setting aside approximately $220 million to pay a U.S. Justice Department fine related to Ericsson’s alleged dealings with Iraq. The $220 million will be booked in the fourth-quarter report.

Of 24 analysts covering the stock, just seven rate Ericsson as a Buy or Strong Buy. There are 12 Hold ratings as well. Based on a median price target of $6.72 and a recent price of around $6.06, the upside potential is almost 11%. At the high price target of $10.27, the upside potential is 69.5%.

Analysts are expecting the company to report fiscal second-quarter revenue of $8.16 billion, which would be up 33.1% sequentially and by 3.4% year over year. EPS are forecast at $0.24, up 56% sequentially but down 33% year over year. For the full year ending in December, analysts are looking for EPS of $0.62, down 22.6%, and revenue of $25.92 billion, up 0.9%.

Ericsson stock trades at 9.8 times expected 2022 EPS, 9.0 times estimated 2023 earnings of $0.67 and 8.1 times estimated 2024 earnings of $0.76 per share. Ericsson’s 52-week trading range is $5.16 to $12.78, and the company pays an annual dividend of $0.23 (yield of 3.58%). Total shareholder return over the past 12 months is negative 45.5%.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) posted its 52-week high nearly one year ago. Since then, the stock price has dropped by nearly 36%. At its low last May, the shares were down about 65%. The company rolled out its ad-supported, low-priced tier in November, but the introduction was not a hit with consumers. While that has weighed on the stock, Netflix Chielf Operating Officer Greg Peters said recently that the company is satisfied with the subscription rate. That indicates that Netflix is focusing on a long game in which a low introductory price converts consumers to higher-cost options. Investors and analysts will be paying close attention to the company’s numbers here.

Of 43 analysts covering the stock, 25 have a Buy or Strong Buy rating, while another 18 rate the shares at Hold. At a price of around $326.20, the shares trade slightly above their median price target of $325.00. At the high price target of $405.00, the upside potential is about 24.2%.

Fourth-quarter revenue is forecast at $7.85 billion, down 1.0% sequentially and up 1.8% year over year. Adjusted EPS are forecast at $0.54, down 82.5% sequentially and 59.4% lower year over year. For the full 2022 fiscal year, analysts expect to see EPS of $10.37, down 7.8%, on sales of $31.6 billion, up 6.4%.

Netflix shares trade at 31.5 times expected 2022 EPS, 30.7 times estimated 2023 earnings of $10.62 and 23.6 times estimated 2024 earnings of $13.84 per share. The stock’s 52-week range is $162.71 to $526.64. Netflix does not pay a dividend. Total shareholder return for the past 12 months was negative 37.9%.

Regions Financial

Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF) stock dropped about 11.7% of its value over the past year. Since posting a 52-week low in mid-July, however, the stock has added 24.5%. With a tangible book value at the end of the September quarter of around $7.20, the stock is trading at about three times that level. While that may be rich, it probably reflects the bank’s solid deposits and expected interest income. Regions also pays a good dividend that has increased by 25% since mid-2020.

Of the 27 analysts covering the bank, 14 have a Buy or Strong Buy rating and the others rate the stock at Hold. At a share price of around $22.40, the upside potential to a median price target of $24.00 is 7.1%. At the high price target of $29.00, the upside potential is 29.5%.
Analysts expect Regions to post fourth-quarter revenue of $1.95 billion, up 3.7% sequentially and 19.6% higher year over year. Adjusted EPS are forecast at $0.65, up 16.1% sequentially and by 47.7% year over year. For the full 2022 fiscal year, Regions is expected to report revenue of $7.19 billion, up 10.9%, and EPS of $2.37, down 5.9%.

The stock trades at around 9.5 times expected 2022 EPS, 9.0 times estimated 2023 earnings of $2.49 and 8.8 times estimated 2024 earnings of $2.54. The stock’s 52-week range is $18.01 to $25.57. The bank pays an annual dividend of $0.80 (yield of 3.57%). Total shareholder return for the past year was negative 8.7%.

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Schlumberger

The largest U.S.-based oilfield services company, Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB), has seen its stock price rise by nearly 55% over the past 12 months. That is well better than at Halliburton, which sported a gain of around 48%, and Baker Hughes, which gained about 15% in the past year. There is no big secret to the company’s success: increased oil production creates demand for the services Schlumberger provides. Given the relatively low cost of production relative to the high price of crude oil, producers are willing to pay more for services. It is that thing about making hay when the sun shines.

Analysts remain solidly bullish on the stock. Of 29 brokerages covering it, 25 have a Buy or Strong Buy rating. The other four rate shares at Hold. At a price of around $58.50 a share, the implied upside based on a median price target of $60.00 is about 2.6%. At the high target of $70.00, the upside potential is 19.7%.

Fourth-quarter revenue is forecast at $7.79 billion. That would be up 4.2% sequentially and 25.0% higher year over year. Adjusted EPS are forecast at $0.68, up 7.4% sequentially and by 65.9% year over year. For the full 2022 fiscal year, analysts expect Schlumberger to post EPS of $2.16, up 68.7%, on sales of $28.03 billion, up 22.3%.

Schlumberger shares trade at 27.1 times expected 2022 EPS, 19.6 times estimated 2023 earnings of $2.98 and 16.0 times estimated 2024 earnings of $3.64 per share. The stock’s 52-week range is $30.65 to $58.92. Schlumberger pays an annual dividend of $0.70 (yield of 1.2%). Over the past 12 months, total shareholder return was 56.9%.

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