Red Hat Earnings Preview

It's time to get ready for Red Hat earnings. Don't be caught off-guard: Red Hat RHT releases its next round of earnings Dec. 19. Want to skip the homework and get all the facts in one place? We thought so. Here is your everything-that-matters guide for this Tuesday's quarter reporting earnings announcement after the bell.

Earnings and Revenue

Analysts are predicting Red Hat will report earnings of 70 cents per share on revenue of $734 million.

In the same quarter last year, Red Hat posted a profit of 93 cents per share on sales of $615 million. The current analyst consensus estimate would represent a 14.75 percent increase in the company's earnings. Sales would be up 19.43 percent on a year-over-year basis.

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

Q3 EPS Estimate: 0.7
Q3 Revenues Estimate: $734 million

Stock Performance

Shares of Red Hat were trading at $128.78 as of Dec. 15. Shares are up 84.76 percent year to date. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

Over the past 90 days, analysts have generally adjusted their estimates higher for EPS and revenues. The most common rating by analysts on Red Hat stock is a Neutral. The strength of this rating has maintained conviction over the past three months.

Conference Call

Don't be surprised to see the stock move on comments made during its conference call. Red Hat's Q3 conference call is scheduled to begin at 16:00:00 ET and can be accessed here. https://services.choruscall.com/links/rht171219n0R5yoiq.html