Consolidated Edison Earnings Preview: Revenue, Earnings Expected to Rise

Consolidated Edison (NYSE: ED) announces its next round of earnings this Thursday, August 4, 2011. Here's Benzinga's essential guide to Consolidated Edison's second quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Ahead of the company's earnings announcement, analysts are expecting a positive EPS reading of 53 cents/share and revenues of $3.12 billion. Consolidated Edison's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of 51 cents/share on revenues of $3.02 billion. Can Consolidated Edison manage the estimated 3.9% rise in EPS and 3.3% increase in revenues from the year-ago quarter as analysts are predicting? We'll have to wait until Thursday to find out.

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

Stock Performance:

As of July 29, 2011, Consolidated Edison's current share price was $52.60. Since January 1st, shares of Consolidated Edison have given investors a return of 8.6%. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 13%. 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 Consolidated Edison is a Moderate Sell.

Competitors:

Wondering how Consolidated Edison compares to rivals in the same sector? Here are a few of the company's peers.

• Avista (NYSE: AVA): Hold with a $0.73 recent quarter EPS
• CH Energy Group (NYSE: CHG): Moderate Sell with a $0.38 recent quarter EPS
• CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS): Moderate Buy with a $0.26 recent quarter EPS
• FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE): Hold with a $0.68 recent quarter EPS

Consolidated Edison is in the utility-electric power industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 22.1%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Consolidated Edison provides electric, gas, and steam utility services to customers through its subsidiaries.

Take Action:

There is your peek into Consolidated Edison's upcoming earnings numbers, including some competitors to watch around the time of the announcement. Check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap of the announcement. In the meantime, here are some links to explore today.

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