Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) both are scheduled to report their fourth quarter results on Tuesday, January 21 before the bell. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is the first major pharmaceutical company to report results this earnings season. Meanwhile, investors will be watching closely whether Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) benefited from the holiday smartphone sales and wireless net additions. Let’s take a look at what analysts expect from both companies.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the pharmaceutical major to post $1.16 per share in earnings. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s revenues are expected to inch up 2.2% YoY to $17.95 in the fourth quarter. The company generated $17.56 billion in sales and earned 91 cents per share in the same period last year. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has a market value of $268.2 billion. The stock has returned 30.3% over the past 12 months.
Analysts have been bullish on the stock. Recently, Jefferies upgraded Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) from Hold to Buy, citing strong growth potential. A few months ago, RBC Capital Markets also upgraded the stock from Sector Perform to Outperform.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)
The telecom operator is expected to report Q4 earnings of 65 cents on revenue of $31.02 billion. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) had incurred a net profit of 77 cents in Q3 2013, and 45 cents in Q4 2012. The company had reported a revenue of $30.05 billion in the same period a year ago. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) has a market value of $138.37 billion. And the stock is up 16.5% over the last 12 months.
The Wall Street consensus has remained unchanged over the last 60 days. The New York-based telecom company has outperformed analysts’ expectations over the past three quarters. For the full-year, analysts estimate $2.83 in EPS and $115.85 billion revenues. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is close to complete its deal with Vodafone Group Plc(ADR) (NASDAQ:VOD) (LON:VOD) to buy 45% stake of the British company in Verizon Wireless
Let’s see how the companies perform when their actual results come out.
