SBA Communications's Earnings: A Preview

SBA Communications SBAC unveils its next round of earnings this Monday, February 22. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for the earnings announcement.

Net Income, Earnings, And Earnings Per Share

Earnings and especially earnings per share (EPS) are useful measures of a company's profitability. Total earnings, which is also referred to as net income, equals total revenue minus total expenses. EPS equals to net income divided by the number of shares outstanding.

Earnings And Revenue

Analysts expect SBA Communications earnings of $0.52 per share. Revenue will likely be around $529.21 million, according to the consensus estimate. SBA Communications EPS in the same period a year ago totaled $0.59. Revenue was $513.66 million.

What Are Analyst Estimates And Earnings Surprises, And Why Do They Matter?

Analysts who cover this company will publish forward-looking estimates of its revenue and EPS each quarter. Averaging together every EPS and revenue prediction that each analyst makes about a company in a quarter yields the "consensus estimates." A company posting earnings or revenue above or below the consensus estimate is known as an "earnings surprise" and may move the stock by a considerable margin.

The analyst consensus estimate would represent a 11.86% decrease in the company's earnings. Revenue would be up 3.03% on a year-over-year basis. SBA Communications's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past like this:

Stock Performance

Shares of SBA Communications were trading at $262.8 as of February 18. Over the last 52-week period, shares are down 11.31%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are likely unhappy going into this earnings release.

Do not be surprised to see the stock move on comments made during its conference call. SBA Communications is scheduled to hold the call at 17:00:00 ET and can be accessed here.