Fourth Quarter Negative EPS Surprises By Sector

As we highlighted on Friday, heading into Q1 earnings season, analysts are forecasting that the Energy sector is likely to show the strongest growth in earnings.  While the sector had strong fundamentals in its favor during the quarter (oil at $100 and natural gas at $10), we would note that given the high hopes for the sector, beating these expectations could prove to be tough.  Last quarter, analysts were expecting similar EPS growth, and the stocks had a tough time reaching the bar.  Of the ten sectors, only the Financial sector had more negative earnings surprises.