Symantec Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Flat EPS Over Last Quarter

Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) announces its next round of earnings this Wednesday, July 27, 2011. Here's Benzinga's advanced look at Symantec's first quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Ahead of the company's earnings announcement, analysts are expecting a positive EPS reading of 33 cents per share and revenues of $1.58 billion. Wall Street will be looking to see how this quarter's numbers compare to the year-ago quarter's positive EPS of 35 cents per share on revenues of $1.43 billion. We'll have to wait for Wednesday to see if Symantec reports a decline in EPS and a boost in revenue from the year-ago quarter, as analysts are predicting.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Stock Performance:

Shares of Symantec were trading at $19.03 as of July 21, 2011. Since January 1st, shares of Symantec have given investors a return of 13.7%. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 22.7%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

• Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Symantec is a Moderate Buy. The strength of this rating has declined slightly over the past three months.

Competitors:

Wondering how some of the other information technology companies are doing? Here are a few of Symantec's peers in that sector.

• CA (NASDAQ: CA): Hold with a $0.50 recent quarter EPS
• Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ): Hold with a $1.24 recent quarter EPS
• International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM): Moderate Buy with a $3.09 recent quarter EPS
• Intel (NASDAQ: INTC): Moderate Buy with a $0.56 recent quarter EPS

Symantec is in the computer software industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 3.6%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Symantec provides security, storage and systems management solutions to help businesses and consumers secure and manage their information.

Take Action:

Now that you have reviewed all the numbers, be ready to move if the upcoming Symantec earnings report has any surprises. Also, come back to Benzinga after the announcement for a full recap and a guide to your next steps.

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