Benzinga | Feb 2, 2021 10:19AM EST

A Preview Of Littelfuse's Earnings

On Wednesday, February 03, Littelfuse (NASDAQ:LFUS) will report its last quarter's earnings. Here is Benzinga's preview of the company's release.

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

Analysts expect Littelfuse earnings of $1.56 per share. Revenue will likely be around $372.86 million, according to the consensus estimate. In the same quarter last year, Littelfuse announced EPS of $1.17 on revenue of $338.52 million.

Why Analyst Estimates And Earnings Surprises Are Important

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.

If the company were to match the consensus estimate when it reports Wednesday, earnings would be up 33.33%. Sales would be up 10.14% from the same quarter last year. Here is how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter Q3 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2020 Q4 2020EPS Estimate 1.14 0.37 0.97 1.14EPS Actual 2.16 0.71 1.29 1.17Revenue Estimate 351.58 M 275.64 M 336.33 M 339.90 MRevenue Actual 391.57 M 307.34 M 346.10 M 338.52 M

Stock Performance

Shares of Littelfuse were trading at $254.63 as of February 01. Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 35.96%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

Do not be surprised to see the stock move on comments made during its conference call. Littelfuse is scheduled to hold the call at 11:00:00 ET and can be accessed here.