Earnings Preview: ExxonMobil EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise from Previous Quarter - Chevron (NYSE:CVX), ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

ExxonMobil XOM announces its next round of earnings this Thursday, July 28, 2011. Get prepared with Benzinga's ultimate preview for ExxonMobil's second quarter earnings.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are looking ahead to a positive EPS of $2.35 per share and revenues of $121.39 billion. Investors will be keen to see how this quarter's numbers stack up against the year-ago quarter's positive EPS of $1.60 per share on revenues of $92.49 billion. We'll have to wait for Thursday to see if ExxonMobil falls in line with analyst expectations and reports an estimated increase in both EPS and revenue from the year-ago quarter.

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

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$2.05	$1.58	$1.39	$1.46
EPS Actual	$2.14	$1.85	$1.44	$1.60

Stock Performance:

At last check, shares of ExxonMobil were trading at $85.22. Since January 1st, shares of ExxonMobil have given investors a return of 17.8%. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 33.7%. 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 ExxonMobil is a Hold. The strength of this rating has declined slightly over the past three months.

Competitors:

Looking for a sympathy stock to trade or interested in the performance of other companies in the same sector? Take a look at some of ExxonMobil's peers.

ConocoPhillips COP: Hold with a $1.82 recent quarter EPS
Chevron CVX: Moderate Buy with a $3.09 recent quarter EPS
Hess HES: Moderate Buy with a $1.82 recent quarter EPS
Marathon Oil MRO: Hold with a $1.65 recent quarter EPS

The integrated oil-international company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 1.7% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: ExxonMobil produces and sells crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.

Take Action:

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

To see up-to-date news on ExxonMobil, click here
To see other trading ideas, click here
To see other company earnings recaps, click here

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs