Monday
Although the markets are closed, a blast from the past will be checking in with an earnings conference call on Monday. Longtime Fools may remember Innovex (NASDAQ:INVX) as a holding of the original Rule Breakers real-money portfolio in the mid-1990s. We ultimately cashed out in 1998. Profitability has been spotty for the maker of disk-drive components, and the company expects to post a loss of $0.13 a share for the period.
Tuesday
I can't be the only one annoyed at all of those Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) ads for the Core Duo processors. On Tuesday, we will learn whether the ads were effective, though Wall Street isn't all that upbeat. The market is looking for earnings to fall to $0.25 a share, after the company turned a profit of $0.40 per share in the previous year's final quarter. Come to think of it, I can't recall the last Intel commercial that I actually liked!
Wednesday
If it's Wednesday, it must be Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). On the heels of its eagerly anticipated iPhone announcement a week earlier, the company will surely draw a crowd and have some interesting insight for how the calendar year will play itself out.
As far as earnings go, analysts expect profits to climb to $0.78 a share for the quarter. That is up from the $0.65 a share it earned a year ago. If that seems a bit low, reality agrees with you. In fiscal 2006, Apple blew past the pros' projections every single quarter. That trend -- and what appears to be a robust holiday selling season -- should keep that streak intact with the company's fiscal 2007 first-quarter report on Wednesday.
Thursday
We're used to having Merrill Lynch (NYSE:MER) comment on other company performances, so let's relish a chance to stick the brokerage giant under the microscope on Thursday. Most of its investment-banking peers have come through with stellar results lately, so Merrill Lynch should fare well against the $1.89-per-share backdrop of expectations.
Friday
We can motor along with Motorola (NYSE:MOT) to close out the trading week. Analysts expect earnings to dip to $0.25 a share in its fourth quarter, after a showing of $0.34 a share a year earlier. So what does the company think of Apple's new iPhone? I'll bet that question comes up fairly early in the Q&A.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
Intel is a Motley Fool Inside Value recommendation. Check out our newsletter service for value investors free for 30 days.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz recommends windshield wiper fluid when trying to look forward. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy.
