Some major companies are due to announce earnings on Wednesday morning, here’s a look at five of the big players, Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH), Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:ABX), The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (NYSE:CP) (TSE:CP), and Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW).
Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH): Before the market opens on Wednesday April 24, Ashland will announce its earnings for the first three months of 2013. Analysts are expecting the company to show earnings of $1.55 per share for the three months on revenue of $2 billion.
In the same period last year, the company earned $1.52 per share on revenue totaling $2.1 billion. So far in 2013, the specialty chemical company has performed reasonably well on the stock market, growing by around 7 percent. In the same period, the Dow Jones has increased by around 11 percent.
Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) earnings have been less than predictable. The first quarter of 2013 saw the company produce a negative earnings surprise of more than 18 percent. The four quarters before that, however, saw the company post positive surprises.
Early on in April, Jana Partners revealed that it had acquired a more than 7 percent stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH). Several investors are looking to the company, but its high valuation, with a 2012 P/E of almost 100, might be a turn off for some.
Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:ABX): The gold company has seen its stock fall in recent weeks, as international gold prices entered into one of their most difficult periods in years. In the month leading up to its earnings announcement on April 24, the firm’s shares lost almost 40 percent of their value.
Analysts are looking for earnings of 88 cents per share on revenue of $3.64 billion. The company is expected to be hurt by the fall in gold prices. In the same three months of 2013, the company took in revenue of $3.64 billion and turned it into $1.09 per share.
The biggest indicator for Barrick Gold Corporation (USA) (NYSE:ABX) is obviously the price of gold. That does not look likely to increase for the rest of 2013, according to many analysts. The lull in the price of the asset leaves Barrick Gold Corporation (USE) (NYSE:ABX), and many companies like it, with a depressed outlook for 2013.
The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA): It’s been a tough year for the aeroplane manufacturer. The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) has had massive trouble with its new Dreamliner 787, and confidence in the company has suffered as a result. Analysts are looking for earnings of $1.40 per share from the firm, on revenues of $19.6 billion.
In the first three months of 2013, the company managed to earn $1.22 and took in $19.4 billion. Despite the problems, investors see the uptick in the global economy as a key driver in demand for extra aircraft, allowing The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) to compound its earnings despite the hits to its reputation in the first part of 2013.
So far in 2013, investors in the The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) have seen their investments come good. Since the start of 2013, the company has seen its shares rise by more than 16 percent. In the last twelve months, the company’s shares have increased by around 20 percent.
Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (NYSE:CP) (TSE:CP): The railway giant is set to announce its earnings for the first quarter of 2013 before the market opens on Wednesday. The company is expected to earn $1.21 Canadian Dollars for the first three months of 2013, on revenues of $.5 billion Canadian Dollars.
In the same three months of 2012, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSE:CP) earned 82 Canadian cents per share, on revenues totaling $1.4 billion. Investors have been getting behind the company in large numbers, with shares increasing by more than 25 percent since the start of the year, and more than 70 percent in the last twelve months.
There has been a growing voice of dissent around Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSE:CP) shares, however. The firm’s 2012P/E stands at around 45, well ahead of the rest of the industry. Bill Ackman’s activist run at the company in 2012 paid off, but the value it added may have reached a peak, and the shares may now be overvalued.
Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW): The diversified technology company will report its earnings before the market opens on Wednesday April 24. Analysts are looking for earnings of 24 cents per share on revenue of $2 billion. In the first three months of 2013, the company took in $1.9 billion in revenue and managed to turn that into earnings per share of 30 cents.
Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) is trading at a low multiple right now, and some investors are wondering whether or not its time to get in on the action. If the firm posts a positive earnings surprise on Wednesday investors may be taking a second look at Corning.
Since the start of 2013, Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) investors have had a tough time. The firm’s shares have risen by just over 3 percent since the start of the year, lagging behind gains made by the major indices. In the last twelve months the shares have actually fallen by just over 1 percent.
