Earnings Expectations: April 30, 2012

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) may have posted stellar results, but earnings season rolls on. Here is a quick day-by-day rundown of what analysts are expecting from some of this week's most prominent earnings reports.
 
Monday
 
Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) and Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: WPI) are expected to offer up year-over-year earnings growth. But EPS from Humana (NYSE: HUM) and NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) are forecast to be lower than a year ago.
 
Tuesday
 
Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM) is expected to report a $0.59 per share profit for its fiscal third quarter. Note that the EPS estimate has fallen from $0.66 per share some 60 days ago, and also that ADM missed estimates by nearly 33% in the second quarter. Analysts predict revenues for the third quarter will have grown 6.5% from a year ago to $21.4 billion.
 
New York-based mass media company CBS's (NYSE: CBS) first-quarter profit is expected to come to $0.44 per share, with revenues totaling $3.8 billion. That would be up from $0.29 per share and $3.5 billion a year ago. CBS has not fallen short of consensus EPS estimates in the past six quarters.
 
Analysts expect Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), which is hit a multiyear high on Friday, to post EPS and revenue declines on Tuesday. The consensus forecast has earnings down 6.7% year over year to $0.56 per share and sales 6.2% lower to $15.5 billion. Analysts so far expect second-quarter results to about the same, but they have underestimated Pfizer's EPS in the past eight quarters.
 
Other companies forecast to post higher per-share earnings on Tuesday include Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP) and Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI). Analyst anticipate Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) will post EPS about the same as a year ago, but Avon Products (NYSE: AVP), Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) and Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) are expected to report a year-over-year decline in EPS.
 
Wednesday
 
First-quarter earnings from Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) are expected to have risen 19.0% year over year to $0.42 per share. The U.S.'s largest cable operator is expected to say that its revenue for the quarter totaled $14.4 billion. That also would be 19.0% higher than in the same quarter a year ago. But Philadelphia-based company has only topped consensus EPS estimates in two of the past four quarters.
 
CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) is expected to report first-quarter earnings of $0.63 per share and revenues of $30.3 billion. That would be up from $0.57 per share and $25.9 billion in the same quarter of last year. CVS has not fallen short of consensus EPS expectations in the past six quarters.
 
From Purchase, N.Y.-based MasterCard (NYSE: MA), analysts are looking for earnings that are 18.9% higher than a year ago to $5.29 per share. And first-quarter revenues are expected to be up 15.1% to $1.7 billion. MasterCard, shares of which hit a multiyear high Friday, has offered upside surprises in the past six quarters.
 
Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) is forecast to post first-quarter EPS of $0.64 and revenues of $6.8 billion. That would be up from $0.58 per share and $6.7 billion a year ago. The New York-based company has seen net income rise in three straight quarters, as well as four-straight revenue increases.
 
The consensus forecast for Visa (NYSE: V), which also reached a multiyear high on Friday, calls for EPS that are 18.0% higher year over year to $1.50. And fiscal second-quarter revenues are anticipated to have grown 10.4% to $2.5 billion. Analysts regularly underestimate Visa's EPS -- by four cents per share in the first quarter.
 
Analysts are looking for earnings growth from Allstate (NYSE: ALL), Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN), IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI), IntercontinentalExchange (NYSE: ICE), Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD), Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU) and Whole Foods Market (NYSE: WFM) as well.
 
EPS from Marathon Oil (NYSE: MRO) and Clorox (NYSE: CLX) are forecast to be about the same as a year ago, but Hartford Financial Services (NYSE: HIG) is expected to post an earnings decline. And analysts are looking for net losses from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) and Sunoco (NYSE: SUN).
 
Thursday
 
From American International Group (NYSE: AIG), analysts anticipate per-share earnings that are 17.7% per share lower than a year ago to $1.07. But that is up from the $0.85 per share estimate 60 days ago. And analysts expect first-quarter revenues to be 2.1% higher to $8.8 billion. AIG is also trading near its 52-week high.
 
First-quarter earnings from General Motors (NYSE: GM) are anticipated to come to $0.85 per share, which is a dime lower than a year ago. But that EPS estimate has risen by four cents over the past 60 days. The Detroit-based automaker's revenue is predicted to total $37.5 billion, or 3.7% higher than in the same quarter a year ago. Back in the fourth quarter, GM missed EPS estimates by two cents per share, ending a four-quarter streak of earnings beats.
 
The consensus forecast for Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) has EPS coming to $0.56 on $13.0 billion in sales. That would be up from $0.52 per share and $12.6 billion in the same quarter of last year. The Oreo-maker, which also reached a 52-week high on Friday, has not fallen short of analysts' earnings estimates in the past four quarters.
 
Look for Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) and Viacom (NYSE: VIAB) to post earnings growth on Thursday as well. Sara Lee's (NYSE: SLE) EPS are forecast to be essentially flat year-over-year.

Friday
 
Washington Post's (NYSE: WPO) first-quarter profit is expected to come to $2.99 per share, or 23.9% lower year over year. Revenue is anticipated to have fallen 6.6% to $993.3 million. Note that the media and education company posted better-than-expected EPS in the past three quarters.
 
Aon (NYSE: AON) is expect to post earnings growth as well Friday, but earnings declines are forecast for Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) and Estee Lauder (NYSE: EL).

By Nelson Hem