Benzinga | Aug 3, 2021 10:54AM EDT

Preview: Rent-A-Center's Earnings

Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) unveils its next round of earnings this Wednesday, August 04. Get prepared with Benzinga's ultimate preview for Rent-A-Center's Q2 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

Analysts covering Rent-A-Center modeled for quarterly EPS of $1.35 on revenue of $1.14 billion. Rent-A-Center EPS in the same period a year ago totaled $0.8. Revenue was $683.75 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, earnings would be up 68.75%. Revenue would be up 66.73% from the same quarter last year. Rent-A-Center's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past like this: Quarter Q1 2021 Q4 2020 Q3 2020 Q2 2020EPS Estimate 1.11 1.02 0.96 0.6EPS Actual 1.32 1.03 1.04 0.8Revenue Estimate 953.23 M 712.94 M 702.76 M 604.99 MRevenue Actual 1.04 B 716.49 M 712.01 M 683.75 M

Want Real-Time Earnings Calendar Updates?

Benzinga consistently updates its earnings calendars to stay up-to-date with the latest company earnings reports. Check out the full earnings calendar list updated in real-time by following this link.

Stock Performance

Shares of Rent-A-Center were trading at $57.46 as of August 02. Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 80.75%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably content going into this earnings release.

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