Benzinga | Feb 10, 2021 10:50AM EST

A Preview Of Vocera Communications's Earnings

Vocera Communications (NYSE:VCRA) unveils its next round of earnings this Thursday, February 11. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for the earnings announcement.

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

Wall Street analysts see Vocera Communications reporting earnings of $0.2 per share on sales of $54.59 million. Vocera Communications reported a profit of $0.15 per share when it published results during the same quarter last year. Sales in that period totaled $49.65 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.

If the company were to match the consensus estimate when it reports Thursday, earnings would be up 33.33%. Sales would be up 9.95% 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 0.13 -0.05 -0.18 0.15EPS Actual 0.31 0.10 -0.14 0.15Revenue Estimate 50.55 M 40.42 M 37.53 M 49.28 MRevenue Actual 53.81 M 47.35 M 40.67 M 49.65 M

Stock Performance

Over the last 52-week period, shares of Vocera Communications are up 78.45%.

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