Hess Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Higher EPS, Revenue

Hess HES unveils its next round of earnings this Wednesday, October 26, 2011. Here's Benzinga's advanced look at Hess' third quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Based on estimates, investors are readying for a positive EPS reading of $1.39/share and revenues of $9.68 billion. Hess' latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of $1.31/share on revenues of $8.95 billion. We'll have to wait for Wednesday to see if Hess 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	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q3
EPS Estimate	$1.97	$1.85	$1.22	$1.04
EPS Actual	$1.78	$1.82	$1.20	$1.31

Stock Performance:

As of October 20, 2011, Hess' current share price was $58.81. Since January 1st, shares of Hess have declined 22.8%. For a full 12 months, the return has declined by 5.2%. 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 Hess is a Moderate Buy. The strength of this rating has crept upwards over the past three months.

Competitors:

Wondering how some of the other energy companies are doing? Here are a few of Hess' peers in that sector.

• ConocoPhillips COP: Hold with a $2.41 recent quarter EPS
• Chevron CVX: Moderate Buy with a $3.85 recent quarter EPS
• Marathon Oil MRO: Hold with a $0.96 recent quarter EPS
• BP p.l.c (BP): Moderate Buy with a $1.89 recent quarter EPS

Hess is in the integrated oil-US industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 1.1%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Hess is a global integrated energy company that explores and refines crude oil and natural gas.

Take Action:

There is your peek into Hess' 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. In the meantime, here are some links to explore today.

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