Alcoa Reports Loss, Misses Estimates

Alcoa (NYSE: AA) announced its results for the fourth quarter on January 9, 2012. Let's take a closer look at the company's industry, financials, and commentary and see what steps you can take next.

Earnings and Revenue:
Alcoa posted revenues above analyst predictions, though the company's EPS came up short of expectations. The company reported a loss of 18 cents/share versus the 5 cents/share estimate and revenues of $5.99 billion versus the $5.79 billion estimate. EPS fell from 25 cents/share in the year-ago quarter while revenue climbed 6% from the same period last year.
The company's loss in the latest quarter comes after the company reported profits in the three prior quarters. Alcoa's revenue has grown during each of the past four quarters on a year-over-year basis.

Conference Call:
The conference call for fourth quarter earnings can be accessed here.

Official Comment:
"Alcoa turned in solid performance in a volatile year by responding quickly to changing market conditions and relentlessly managing cash. We stayed focused on growth and took aggressive action to cut costs, improve our competitiveness, and strengthen our balance sheet," said Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld. "For 2012, we expect global aluminum demand to grow seven percent and are forecasting a global deficit in primary aluminum supply."

Industry:
The mining (non ferr) company's industry is currently enjoying price/earnings growth of 0.9%.

What to Do Next:
Those are the latest numbers from Alcoa, including how the announcement compared to Wall Street estimates. Benzinga consistently provides earnings previews and recaps for major corporate events. Be sure to visit us next quarter for a full Alcoa preview.

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(Estimates Source: Zacks)