Raymond James Financial (NYSE: RJF) beat estimates by 2 cents last quarter and investors are hoping it can beat them again. The company will unveil its latest earnings on Wednesday, July 20. Raymond James Financial is a holding company engaged in different financial services businesses, including the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products.

What analysts say:

  • Buy, sell, or hold?: Analysts think investors should stand pat on Raymond James Financial with three of five analysts rating it hold. Analysts like Raymond James Financial better than competitor LPL Investment Holdings overall. Two out of 11 analysts rate LPL Investment Holdings a buy, compared to two of five for Raymond James Financial. Analysts' rating of Raymond James Financial has stayed constant from three months prior.
  • Revenue Forecasts: On average, analysts predict $845.5 million in revenue this quarter. That would represent a rise of 10.7% from the year-ago quarter.
  • Wall Street Earnings Expectations: The average analyst estimate is earnings of 42 cents per share. Estimates range from 30 cents to 60 cents.

What our community says:
CAPS All Stars are solidly behind the stock with 83.3% giving it an "outperform" rating. The community at large concurs with the All Stars with 80.8% awarding it a rating of "outperform." Fools are gung-ho about Raymond James Financial, though the message boards have been quiet lately with only 44 posts in the past 30 days. Despite the majority sentiment in favor of Raymond James Financial, the stock has a middling CAPS rating of three out of five stars.

Management:
Raymond James Financial's profit has risen year over year by an average of 58%. 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 net margins over the past four quarters. 

Quarter Q2 Q1 Q4 Q3
Net Margin 8.9% 9.8% 9% 7.9%

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