Smithfield Foods's Upcoming Earnings: What You Need To Know

Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on June 14. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Smithfield Foods's revenues will grow 2.2% and EPS will compress -2.3%.

The average estimate for revenue is $3.28 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.42.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Smithfield Foods booked revenue of $3.58 billion. GAAP reported sales were 3.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $3.48 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.58. GAAP EPS of $0.58 for Q3 were 18% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.49 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 9.2%, 170 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 3.6%, 200 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 2.3%, much about the same as the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $13.18 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.00.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 197 members out of 239 rating the stock outperform, and 42 members rating it underperform. Among 90 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 77 give Smithfield Foods a green thumbs-up, and 13 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Smithfield Foods is hold, with an average price target of $25.75.

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