Now that we've chased the last of the egg-heaving trick-or-treaters off our lawn, it's time to turn our attention to November.
Let's go over a few of the upcoming dates to watch.
Nov. 5
Activision Blizzard (ATVI +0.00%) hits retailers with the latest installment in its industry-leading Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty: Ghosts hopes to build on the record-setting success of earlier releases.
The video game industry has struggled in recent years, but Activision Blizzard has still managed to set new records with every release of its combat simulation series. Analysts see a decline in revenue at Activision Blizzard during the holiday quarter, but that's largely based on slipping sales from other releases.
Nov. 13
It's been a big year for consumer-facing IPOs, and SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS 3.57%) is one of the best-known debutantes. The operator of marine-life theme parks reports quarterly results a week from Wednesday.
This will be SeaWorld's most important report this year. The amusement park industry lives and dies by its summertime operations, and even though SeaWorld's most prolific parks are open year-round, this is still by far its most lucrative quarter. Analysts see a profit of $1.22 a share for the quarter, and they are holding out for just $1.10 per share for the entire year. In other words, Wall Street sees SeaWorld posting a loss for the other nine months combined.
Investors will hope for a Shamu-sized splash next week.
Nov. 20
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR +0.00%) has been one of the market's biggest surprises, soaring nearly 150% over the past year. The company behind the Keurig system of single-serve coffee has seen sales growth slow, but low bean costs have helped expand margins.
When Green Mountain reports on Nov. 20, analysts see revenue inching just 2% higher, but EPS is pegged to climb 17% to $0.75 a share. And it could be even better than that; Green Mountain has beaten analyst estimates in each of the past four quarters.
Nov. 22
This will be a big month for video game fans. About two weeks after Call of Duty: Ghosts is introduced, the PlayStation 4 will hit the market on Nov. 15, and Microsoft's (MSFT +0.88%) Xbox One follows a week later.
Microsoft's Xbox One got off to a rough start. The software giant priced the system at $499, which is $100 more than the rival PS4. It also proposed digital restrictions that required online check-ins, which proved unpopular with gamers. Microsoft did away with most of those initiatives, but it remains to be seen whether the gamers who made the Xbox 360 this country's top console will back the next generation.
