Earnings Preview: Clearwater Paper

Clearwater Paper CLW releases its next round of earnings this Thursday, February 25. Here is Benzinga's essential guide to Clearwater Paper's Q4 earnings report.

What Are Earnings, Net Income, 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

Clearwater Paper EPS will likely be near $1.53 while revenue will be around $449.33 million, according to analysts. In the same quarter last year, Clearwater Paper reported earnings per share of $0.37 on sales of $435.50 million.

Why Analyst Estimates And Earnings Surprises Are Important

Wall Street analysts who study this company will publish analyst estimates of revenue and EPS. The averages of all analyst EPS and revenue estimates are called the "consensus estimates"; these consensus estimates can have a significant effect on a company's performance during an earnings release. When a company posts earnings or revenue above or below a consensus estimate, it has posted an "earnings surprise", which can really move a stock depending on the difference between actual and estimated values.

The Wall Street estimate would represent a 313.51% increase in the company's earnings. Revenue would be have grown 3.18% from the same quarter last year. Clearwater Paper's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past like this:

Stock Performance

Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 48.74%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders can be content going into this earnings release.

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