24/7 Wall St. has put together a preview of some of the major Dow Jones Industrial Average companies that are reporting their quarterly results this week. We are still in the heart of earnings season, when most major companies report earnings and set a direction for the market. We have included the consensus earnings estimates from Thomson Reuters and the stock price and trading history, as well as added some additional color on each.

Be advised that the earnings and revenue estimates may change ahead of the formal reports, and some companies may change reporting dates as well.

Apple

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) will share its most recent quarterly results after the closing bell on Tuesday. The consensus estimates call for earnings per share (EPS) of $1.88 and $51.09 billion in revenue.

This smartphone giant is poised to close out its fiscal 2015. Despite having a rocky past few months, Apple is continuing to grow its iPhone sales, and with the holidays right around the corner, investor expectations are running high. A recent report from Canaccord Genuity reiterated a Buy rating with a $160 price target, implying upside of roughly 35% from current prices. Overall, based on its survey work and analysis, the firm believes Apple is maintaining strong share of the premium tier smartphone market, which will allow it to continue to post strong sales.

Shares were trading at $119.08 at the close on Friday, in a 52-week trading range of $92.00 to $134.54. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $147.95.

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Merck

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) is scheduled to reveal its third-quarter results on Tuesday before the markets open. The consensus estimates call for $0.92 in EPS, as well as $10.08 billion in revenue.

The pharmaceutical giant recently announced very encouraging data from two pivotal Phase 3 clinical studies for its investigational antitoxin bezlotoxumab for prevention of recurrence of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection. Data from the studies evaluated the use of bezlotoxumab alone or in combination with actoxumab. Both studies met their primary efficacy endpoints. Earlier this month, the FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation to Merck’s Keytruda, as the company managed to prove that the drug is better than existing therapies for treating non-small cell lung cancer. However, the relationship between Keytruda use and survival rate or disease symptoms is yet to be conclusively proved.

Shares were trading on Friday’s close at $52.90. The consensus price target is $62.47. The stock has a 52-week trading range of $45.69 to $63.62.

Pfizer

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is set to report its third-quarter results late in the day on Tuesday as well. The analysts’ consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.51 and $11.56 billion in revenue.

In recent solid news for Pfizer, its drug Ibrance was approved for advanced breast cancer by U.S. regulators more than two months ahead of schedule, letting the drug-maker proceed with one of its most promising new blockbusters, a turn of events that Wall Street likes. With a strong pipeline and the fact that Pfizer is the world’s largest drug manufacturer by sales, many analysts feel the company can generate higher long-term revenues through the accelerated growth of its new drugs over the next five years, with Ibrance leading the way.

Pfizer currently has eight approved cancer medicines, four of them launched in the past four years. It is running late-stage patient tests on five of those drugs for additional uses and has three other drugs in late-stage testing, which is usually the last round before seeking regulatory’ approval. In addition, the company has 14 other drug programs in early stages.

Shares were changing hands at $34.07 as Friday’s trading came to close. The consensus price target is $39.89, and the stock has a 52-week trading range of $28.47 to $36.46.

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Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) is expected to report its third-quarter results first thing Friday morning. The consensus analyst estimates call for $0.89 in EPS and revenue of $63.88 billion.

This is the world’s largest international integrated oil and gas company, and it reported better second-quarter revenue numbers, but earnings came in below Wall Street estimates. Merrill Lynch is very positive on this energy sector play for the long term, as the overall corporate strength of the massive integrated giant plays a significant part in the its usually solid earnings reporting pattern. The firm has stressed in the past the company’s global downstream chemical segment plays a huge part for Exxon. It may be a part that many others on Wall Street don’t fully appreciate, as the segment contributes an estimated 16% of overall total revenue.

Shares of Exxon ended the week at $82.97. The consensus price target is $81.84. The 52-week trading range is $66.55 to $97.20.

Chevron

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) is likewise set to share its latest quarterly earnings early on Friday. The consensus estimates call for $0.78 in EPS and $29.88 billion in revenue.

Chevron’s management continues to aggressively pursue cost saving initiatives and has already completed over 2,200 supplier engagements, with more in progress. Cost savings and improving investor sentiment may be a key for the mega-cap integrated as it has struggled mightily over the past year. While many on Wall Street concede that the oil market could be oversupplied for longer than most thought, massive overseas demand and a production slowdown should help pricing the rest of the year and into 2016.

Shares closed at $91.24 on Friday, in a 52-week trading range of $69.58 to $120.17. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $93.60.

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