Monday
The new trading week kicks off with Clorox (NYSE: CLX) reporting its quarterly reports. The company should provide a fresh break from consumer brands that are posting lower profits as thrifty shoppers turn to cheaper house brands. Analysts see Clorox earning $1.19 a share for the quarter, just ahead of the $1.13 a share it earned a year ago.
Humana (NYSE: HUM) is also projected to post improved bottom-line results. Humana should be an interesting call, as government health-care plans are front and center these days.
Tuesday
Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) reports on Tuesday. The regional amusement park operator runs a highly seasonal business. Most of its revenue -- and often more than all of its earnings -- are recorded during the summer. Its review of its second quarter performance and outlook for the telltale third quarter will make Tuesday as thrilling as some of the chain's signature coasters.
Wednesday
International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE: IFF) and Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) are just two of the companies slated to post year-over-year declines in net income on Wednesday. Cisco's dip may be understandable, given the sluggish state of IT spending. However, International Flavors & Fragrances is supposed to be recession-proof. Its labs cook up the tastes and scents you find in consumer goods of all types.
Thursday
Bond insurer MBIA (NYSE: MBI) steps up to the plate on Thursday. Yes, Mr. Market sees a sharp deficit at MBIA. Investors are braced for the inevitable carnage. However, even non-shareholders should tune in to get an insider's perspective on the state of the credit markets.
Friday
OYO Geospace (Nasdaq: OYOG) reports on Friday. I have bad news and then worse news here. The bad news is that Wall Street sees a quarterly profit of $0.19 a share out of the seismic data processing specialist for the oil and gas industry, well off the $0.71 a share profit it nabbed a year earlier. The worse news? Well, analysts have been overestimating OYO Geospace's profit potential lately. Earnings have come in well below expectations in each of the three previous quarters.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
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