Yesterday we highlighted the earnings per share beat rate for US companies that have reported their quarterly numbers since July 8th. In the first chart below, we have updated the numbers to include today's reports. As shown, the beat rate increased a bit more today up to 72.3%. The highest beat rate we've seen since 2001 was 73% in Q3 '06, so this quarter definitely has a shot to top that.
But while the bottom line numbers are coming in much better than expected, top line numbers have been weak. In the second chart below, we highlight the revenue beat rate so far this earnings season. Of the US companies that have reported revenues, only 49.1% have come in better than expected. While almost everything about this earnings season has been positive so far (including stock market performance), the revenue numbers are one area where things still look pretty bad.
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Any chance we can see the revenue beat rates in a historical context?
Posted by: Cool | July 22, 2009 at 04:41 PM