Top Earnings Previews For The Week Ahead (DDS, LDK, LOW, ADI, DELL, HD, TJX, WMT, DE, DRYS, JDSU, NTAP, SPLS, TGT, BRCD, GME, GPS, HPQ, CRM, SHLD)

The coming week has many key earnings reports, some tech and some retail.  We have tracked the major reports by day, shown Thomson Reuters estimates, as well as given price action, and then we have added on color if there was something more to add.

Investors will be watching earnings reports from the following: Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS); LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK); Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW); Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI); Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL); Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD); TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX); Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT); Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE); DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS); JDS Uniphase Corporation (NASDAQ: JDSU); NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP); Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS); Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT); Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD); GameStop Corporation (NYSE: GME); Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS); Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ); Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM); and Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD).

We did not include the consensus analyst price target this week because the data looks very skewed since it has not been fully updated to reflect the new estimates.

Monday, August 15

Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.25 EPS and $1.42 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.31 EPS and $1.36 billion in revenues.  Keep in mind that the consensus group is too small for us to have much faith in estimates.   Shares are trading around $42.50 and the 52-week trading range is $19.26 to $61.08.

LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.44 EPS and $716.37 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.33 EPS and $740.77 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $6.36 and the 52-week trading range is $4.97 to $15.10.  With the woes of solar and with the woes of Chinese accounting, LDK could be up huge or down huge.

Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.67 EPS and $14.78 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.35 EPS and $11.97 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $19.26 and the 52-week trading range is $18.97 to $27.45.  That 52-week low was hit on Friday.

Tuesday, August 16

Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.74 EPS and $780.57 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.74 EPS and $787.26 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $31.50 and the 52-week trading range is $27.45 to $43.28.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.49 EPS and $15.76 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.45 EPS and $16.22 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $14.88 and the 52-week trading range is $11.34 to $17.60.  As a reminder, Dell performed better on earnings last quarter despite a lack of apparent catalysts.

Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.83 EPS and $19.96 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.58 EPS and $17.17 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $30.40 and the 52-week trading range is $27.10 to $39.38.

TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.87 EPS and $5.43 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $1.06 EPS and $5.86 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $53.77 and the 52-week trading range is $39.56 to $56.78. 

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is due in the morning on Tuesday and Thomson Reuters estimates are $1.08 EPS and $108.26 billion in sales; next quarter targets are $0.97 EPS and $106.4 billion in revenues.  Shares are around $49.85 and the 52-week range is $48.31 to $57.90.  The company is likely to update its buyback progress and it just went ex-dividend on August 10.

Wednesday, August 17

Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $1.67 EPS and $7.5 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $1.41 EPS and $7.5 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $75.50 and the 52-week trading range is $60.45 to $99.80.

DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.18 EPS and $263.55 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.22 EPS and $322.18 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $2.75 and the 52-week trading range is $2.19 to $6.44.  This one is no market mover nor is it a sector mover.  What it is a volatile stock when news comes out and that low price may only exacerbate that news.

JDS Uniphase Corporation (NASDAQ: JDSU) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.23 EPS and $466.35 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.23 EPS and $470.33 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $11.70 and the 52-week trading range is $9.09 to $29.12.  The entire broadband and communications equipment sector is now way off highs and that means some of the later-cycle reporting earnings in here may not drop as poorly as others in the last month.

NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.55 EPS and $1.51 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.61 EPS and $1.62 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $43.60 and the 52-week trading range is $37.04 to $61.02.  The market has been rough here on NetApp and it is still too soon to mentally change the tally to a value stock from a growth stock.  It is somewhere in between.

Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.20 EPS and $5.65 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.47 EPS and $6.71 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $13.50 and the 52-week trading range is $11.94 to $23.75.  Shares hit a year low this week and 2011 has proven to be more than challenging for Staples.

Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.96 EPS and $16.11 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.71 EPS and $16.31 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $48.70 and the 52-week trading range is $45.28 to $60.97.  Target hit these lows seen this week in May to June, so the market is trying (or hoping) for a bottom.

Thursday, August 18

Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.11 EPS and $550.9 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.13 EPS and $584.03 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $3.45 and the 52-week trading range is $3.18 to $7.30.  As a reminder, Brocade already warned.  The news was all bad and the hope of a buyout is toast.

GameStop Corporation (NYSE: GME) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.22 EPS and $1.84 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.39 EPS and $2.01 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $21.04 and the 52-week trading range is $17.70 to $28.66.  GameStop has been pounded all over again despite a low valuation after the recovery, despite buying back stock, and despite a move to digital downloads.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.29 EPS and $3.35 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.34 EPS and $3.70 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $16.65 and the 52-week trading range is $15.26 to $23.73.  Gap has become overly hated since its last warning.  The good news is that the cotton prices have come crashing down that caused such a shock.  That means an upside surprise could be seen or expected in guidance unless Gap locked in at high cotton prices.  The buyback isn’t really helping but we’ll see what the company can report.

Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $1.09 EPS and $31.2 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $1.32 EPS and $34.1 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $32.25 and the 52-week trading range is $29.75 to $49.39.

Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) has Thomson Reuters estimates of $0.30 EPS and $528.63 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.31 EPS and $556.65 million in revenues.  Shares are trading around $135.00 and the 52-week trading range is $95.75 to $160.12.  What is amazing is that this one being such a high-beta stock only fell about as much as many other key stocks in tech from highs.

Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) has Thomson Reuters estimates of -$0.46 EPS and $10.13 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are -$2.14 EPS and $9.57 billion in revenues.  Shares are trading around $62.00 and the 52-week trading range is $58.45 to $94.79.  Evaluating Sears on earnings is a bit like evaluating a crack addict when they lose money.  The analyst group is too small to count as a consensus and no one knows if they are evaluating Eddie Lampert’s hedge fund or if they are supposed to love declining sales metrics.

Lots and lots of earnings coming this next week.

JON C. OGG