Earnings Preview: AutoNation, Baxter, Chipotle, Cytec, Check Point

AutoNation, Inc. (AN) will be report its Q2 2013 earnings results before the opening bell on Thursday, July 18. Analysts expect profit to rise to 74 cents a share from 66 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue for the period is expected to be $4.33 billion, 11% higher than the year earlier revenue of $3.90 billion. For the year, earnings are projected to come in at $2.98 per share on revenue of $17.33 billion. The company has seen improved profit in the last three quarters, while revenue increased for two straight quarters.

Baxter International Inc. (BAX)
Baxter International Inc. (BAX) will announce its Q2 2013 earnings before the market open on Thursday, July 18. The consensus estimate is for earnings of $1.13 per share, up 1% from the year-ago profit of $1.12 per share. Revenue will likely come in at $3.70 billion for the quarter, up 4% from a year ago when Baxter reported revenue of $3.57 billion. For the fiscal year, profit is projected to roll in at $4.65 per share, on sales of $15.51 billion. The company has a market capitalization of $39.470 billion, and its stock has a one year high of $73.95 and a one year low of $54.54.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP)
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) will release its second quarter results on July 18 before the U.S. markets open. Analysts expect EPS of 81 cents on sales of $337.22 million, compared with a year-ago profit of 77 cents a share on revenue of $328.65 million. Besides the headline revenue and earnings numbers, the Street will also closely monitor product license revenue, which is expected to drop 4 percent to $117.7 million. Check Point is a leading provider of software based VPN technology, and its stock has gained 12.9 percent so far this year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG)
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG)’s Q2 2013 earnings results will be announced after the close of trading on Thursday, July 18. Analysts on average project earnings of $2.81 per share, compared to a profit of $2.56 per share in the comparable period of last year. Revenue for the quarter is likely to rise more than 16 percent year-over-year to $802.70 million. Analyst have gotten increasingly optimistic in recent months, boosting Chipotle’s June-quarter earnings estimates by a nickel per share and its full-year 2013 consensus by more than $0.35 per share. The company has a market capitalization of $11.719 billion, and its stock has a one year high of $404.59 and a low of $233.82.

Cytec Industries Inc (CYT)
Cytec Industries Inc (CYT) will report its Q2 2013 earnings data after the market close on July 18. The consensus estimate is for earnings of $1.21 per share, up from 73 cents per share in the same period last year. For the current fiscal year, the average analysts’ estimate is for EPS of $4.77 per share. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. upgraded the stock from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note to investors on July 8. Also, analysts at Deutsche Bank reaffirmed their “buy” rating on shares of Cytec with a $84.00 price target, in a research report on Monday, July 1. The stock has a 52-week high of $79.62 and a 52-week low of $58.19. Cytec has seen a slew of analyst action in recent weeks.