Earnings Preview: Cliffs Natural Resources' EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise

Cliffs Natural Resources CLF releases its next round of earnings this Thursday, October 27, 2011. Get the latest predictions in Benzinga's essential guide to the company's third quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Wall Street expects an EPS of $3.66/share and revenues of $2.16 billion. Cliffs Natural Resources' latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of $2.18/share on revenues of $1.35 billion. We'll know on Thursday whether Cliffs Natural Resources has managed the estimated 67.9% increase in EPS and 60% rise 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	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q3
EPS Estimate	$3.72	$2.25	$2.15	$2.59
EPS Actual	$3.00	$3.11	$2.82	$2.18

Stock Performance:

Shares of Cliffs Natural Resources were trading at $63.71 as of October 24, 2011. Since January 1st, shares of Cliffs Natural Resources have declined 17.8%.

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Cliffs Natural Resources is a Moderate Buy. Over the past three months this rating's strength has declined slightly.

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 Cliffs Natural Resources' peers.

• AK Steel AKS: Hold with a $0.32 recent quarter EPS

The mining-iron company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 0.2% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Cliffs Natural Resources is an international mining company that operates primarily in North America and Australia.

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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