Earnings Preview: Symantec's EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise - Xtrackers California Municipal Bonds ETF (NASDAQ:CA)

Symantec SYMC announces its next round of earnings this Wednesday, October 26, 2011. Here's Benzinga's advanced look at Symantec's second quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Wall Street expects an EPS of 34 cents/share and revenues of $1.66 billion. Symantec's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of 29 cents/share on revenues of $1.48 billion. We'll have to wait for Wednesday to see if Symantec has accomplished the estimated 17.2% rise in EPS and 12.2% increase in revenues on a year-over-year basis.

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

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$0.33	$0.33	$0.30	$0.25
EPS Actual	$0.33	$0.33	$0.30	$0.29

Stock Performance:

As of October 20, 2011, Symantec's current share price was $17.94. Since January 1st, shares of Symantec have given investors a return of 7.2%. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 13.5%. 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:

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 Symantec's peers.

CA CA: Hold with a $0.50 recent quarter EPS
Guidance Software GUID: Hold with a -$0.05 recent quarter EPS
Hewlett-Packard Company HPQ: Hold with a $1.10 recent quarter EPS
International Business Machines IBM: Moderate Buy with a $3.28 recent quarter EPS

The computer software company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 3% during the current fiscal year.

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're fully prepared, get ready to take quick action if the company reports any numbers significantly different from those listed above. Also, check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap and what-to-do-next guide.

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