Carlisle Companies Earnings Preview

Carlisle Companies (NYSE: CSL  ) will try to beat its earnings estimates for the third consecutive quarter. The company will unveil its latest earnings on Tuesday, July 26. Carlisle Companies manufacture and distribute a variety of products across a range of industries, including roofing, construction, trucking, food service, industrial equipment, outdoor power equipment, and aircraft manufacturing.

What analysts say:

• Buy, sell, or hold?: Analysts generally think investors should hang on to Carlisle Companies, with half rating the stock a hold. Analysts don't like Carlisle Companies as much as competitor Newell Rubbermaid overall. Eleven out of 14 analysts rate Newell Rubbermaid a buy compared to three of six for Carlisle Companies. Wall Street has warmed to the stock over the past three months, with analysts increasing their endorsement from hold to moderate buy.
• Revenue Forecasts: On average, analysts predict $830.9 million in revenue this quarter. That would represent a rise of 17.1% from the year-ago quarter.
• Wall Street Earnings Expectations: The average analyst estimate is earnings of $0.92 per share. Estimates range from $0.88 to $1.01.

What our community says:
CAPS All Stars are solidly backing the stock, with 98.1% awarding it an "outperform" rating. The community at large concurs with the All Stars with 95.4% granting it a rating of "outperform." Fools are keen on Carlisle Companies, though the message boards have been quiet lately with only 84 posts in the past 30 days. Even with a robust four out of five stars, Carlisle Companies' CAPS rating falls a little short of the community's upbeat outlook.

Management:
Carlisle Companies' profit has risen year over year by an average of 1.3%.

Now let's look at how efficient management is at running the business. Traditionally, margins represent the efficiency with which companies capture portions of sales dollars. The following table shows gross, operating, and net margins over the past four quarters:

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
Gross Margin	21.2%	20.7%	21.6%	20.7%
Operating Margin	8.0%	4.3%	10.0%	9.0%
Net Margin	4.8%	5.1%	7.6%	5.4%

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