Benzinga | May 20, 2021 10:07AM EDT

Earnings Outlook For VF

VF (NYSE:VFC) unveils its next round of earnings this Friday, May 21. Get prepared with Benzinga's ultimate preview for VF's Q4 earnings.

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

VF EPS is expected to be around $0.29, according to sell-side analysts. Sales will likely be near $2.50 billion. VF EPS in the same period a year ago totaled $0.1. Revenue was $2.10 billion.

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.

If the company were to match the consensus estimate when it reports Friday, earnings would be up 190.0%. Revenue would be up 18.93% 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 2021 Q2 2020 Q1 2020 Q4 2020EPS Estimate 0.90 0.49 -0.67 0.13EPS Actual 0.93 0.67 -0.57 0.10Revenue Estimate 3.00 B 2.50 B 980.22 M 2.31 BRevenue Actual 2.97 B 2.61 B 1.08 B 2.10 B

Stock Performance

Shares of VF were trading at $84.7 as of May 19. Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 50.49%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably happy going into this earnings release.

Do not be surprised to see the stock move on comments made during its conference call. VF is scheduled to hold the call at 08:30:00 ET and can be accessed here.