Superior Energy Services (NYSE: SPN) will try to beat its earnings estimates for the third consecutive quarter. The company will unveil its latest earnings on Thursday, Feb. 23. Superior Energy Services is a provider of specialized oilfield services and equipment focusing on serving the production- and drilling-related needs of oil and gas companies.

What analysts say:

  • Buy, sell, or hold?: Analysts are bullish on Superior Energy Services as eight analysts rate it as a buy and only one analyst rates it as a hold. Analysts still rate the stock a moderate buy, but they are a bit more wary about it compared to three months ago.
  • Revenue forecasts: On average, analysts predict $566.9 million in revenue this quarter. That would represent a rise of 24.1% from the year-ago quarter.
  • Wall Street earnings expectations: The average analyst estimate is earnings of $0.67 per share. Estimates range from $0.63 to $0.69.

What our community says:
CAPS All-Stars are solidly backing the stock, with 98.7% giving it an "outperform" rating. The community at large agrees with the All-Stars, with 98.4% granting it a rating of "outperform." Fools are bullish on Superior Energy Services, though the message boards have been quiet lately with only one post in the past 30 days. Even with a robust four out of five stars, Superior Energy Services' CAPS rating falls a little short of the community's upbeat outlook.

Management:
Superior Energy Services' profit has risen year over year by an average of 12.2% over the past five quarters.

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. Superior Energy Services saw an increase in its gross margins in the last two quarters year over year. Gross margin reflects the total sales revenue that the company retains after costs. Here is how Superior Energy Services has been doing for the last four quarters:

Quarter

Q3

Q2

Q1

Q4

Gross Margin

46.7%

46.9%

43.5%

43.7%

Operating Margin

18.4%

16.9%

8.8%

3.3%

Net Margin

10.5%

9.4%

3.7%

0.7%

We can help you keep tabs on your companies with My Watchlist, our free, personalized service. Add Superior Energy Services now.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Earnings estimates provided by Zacks.