Medtronic Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Flat EPS, Rising Revenue - Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX)

Medtronic MDT releases its next round of earnings this Tuesday, November 22, 2011. Get the latest predictions in Benzinga's essential guide to the company's second quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are predicting an EPS reading of 82 cents/share and revenues of $4.07 billion. Medtronic's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of 82 cents/share on revenues of $3.9 billion. We'll have to wait for Tuesday to see if the company falls in line with Wall Street predictions and reports a boost in revenue and a steady EPS from the year-ago quarter.

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

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$0.79	$0.93	$0.83	$0.81
EPS Actual	$0.79	$0.90	$0.86	$0.82

(Estimates Source: Zacks)

Stock Performance:

Shares of Medtronic were trading at $34.26 as of November 16, 2011. Shares are down 5.2% year to date. For a full 12 months, the return has declined by 10.1%. 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 is a Hold. Over the past three months this rating's strength has declined slightly.

Competitors:

Wondering how Medtronic compares to rivals in the same sector? Here are a few of the company's peers.

Abbott Laboratories Com Stk NPV ABT: Hold with a $1.18 recent quarter EPS
Boston Scientific BSX: Hold with a $0.15 recent quarter EPS
CONMED CNMD: Hold with a $0.33 recent quarter EPS
Edwards Lifesciences EW: Hold with a $0.38 recent quarter EPS

Medtronic is in the medical products industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 0.9%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Medtronic provides products and therapies for medical professionals.

Take Action:

Now that you have reviewed all the numbers, be ready to move if the upcoming Medtronic earnings report has any surprises. Also, come back to Benzinga after the announcement for a full recap and a guide to your next steps.

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

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs