Earnings Preview: Raytheon Company's EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise - Boeing (NYSE:BA)

Raytheon Company RTN announces its next round of earnings this Thursday, October 27, 2011. Here's Benzinga's essential guide to Raytheon Company's third quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are predicting an EPS reading of $1.33/share and revenues of $6.38 billion. Raytheon Company's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of $1.26/share on revenues of $6.27 billion. We'll have to wait for Thursday to see if Raytheon Company reports higher EPS and a slight increase in revenue from the year-ago quarter, as analysts are expecting.

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

Quarter	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q3
EPS Estimate	$1.16	$1.09	$1.16	$1.13
EPS Actual	$1.23	$1.38	$1.57	$1.26

Stock Performance:

At last check, shares of Raytheon Company were trading at $44.46. Since January 1st, shares of Raytheon Company have declined 0.6%. For a full 12 months, the return has declined by 3.7%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are probably a little upset going into this earnings release.

Long-term shareholders are already wary of 12-month losses prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Raytheon Company is a Hold. Over the past three months this rating's strength has declined slightly.

Competitors:

Want to check out the performance of Raytheon Company closest competitors? Take a look at some of the company's peers in the industrials sector.

Alliant Techsystems ATK: Hold with a $2.02 recent quarter EPS
Boeing Company BA: Moderate Buy with a $1.25 recent quarter EPS
Rockwell Collins COL: Moderate Buy with a $1.01 recent quarter EPS
FLIR Systems FLIR: Hold with a $0.43 recent quarter EPS

The electrical-military company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 1.1% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Raytheon provides electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities to customers in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world.

Take Action:

Now that you have reviewed all the numbers, be ready to move if the upcoming Raytheon Company 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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