Late Inning Earnings Plays: V, MA, HES, SU

October 30, 2012, 13:20 pm ET, BY Billy- Contributor| Editor: Thomas H. Kee Jr. (Follow on LinkedIn)

This week we move into the late innings of the Q3 earnings season with plenty of companies still left to report. A couple of major credit card companies will be releasing earnings this week as will be some significant players in the oil and gas space. Here are four names four traders to keep an eye on heading into their earnings reports. PROFIT FROM THESE STOCKS TODAY!

Credit Check

After the market close on Wednesday, Visa Inc (NYSE:V) will announce the results of its fiscal Q4. Analysts are calling for the payment processing company to report an 18.1% climb in EPS on a 12.2% pop in total revenue versus the prior year period.

This stock has been on a tear in 2012 and is up 36.2% year-to-date. Traders can expect the success to continue post-release. Visa has come in with slight earnings beats in each of the last four quarters. A miss here would slow the stock’s momentum, but don’t count on it happening this week.

Technical indicators for Visa are presently very bullish. The stock has maintained a 50-day moving average well above its 200-day moving average since the beginning of the year. Another upside surprise and the stock could go parabolic. Traders still need to protect themselves against downside risk by having reasonable stops in place. Our Visa trading report can help traders decide on acceptable levels of risk prior to pulling the trigger.

Visa’s rival Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA) is also scheduled to report its quarterly earnings on Wednesday. The consensus on Wall Street is that the company will announce a 5.3% improvement in EPS on a 6.7% uptick in total revenue when compared to the year-ago quarter. Traders can bet on an earnings beat from Mastercard and it may be enough to stop the stock’s recent slide.

Even amidst the slide has experienced from $486.08 to its present level of $452.98, Mastercard has also been able to maintain a 50-day moving average above its 200-day moving average for all of 2012. Our trading report can provide traders with additional details on a resistance level that this stock should not breach if it is to remain on the up and up.

Petro Plays

The independent energy powerhouse Hess Corp. (NYSE:HES) will report its Q3 earnings results on Wednesday morning. Analysts are predicting that the company will post a 6.3% improvement in EPS on a 5.2% uptick in total revenue when compared to the company’s Q3 in 2011.

Hess should be viewed as a wildcard. Its technical indicators are impressive as its 50-day moving just recently eclipsed its 200-day moving average, but traders should remain wary. The company has surprised to the downside in three of its last four quarters. If traders insist on taking a long position on this stock prior to the release, key resistance levels contained in our Hess trading report can help in setting appropriate stop loss orders.

Another oil and gas company for traders to keep an eye on this week is Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU). The company is slated to check in with its Q3 results after the closing bell on Wednesday. Analysts are expecting Suncor to post EPS of $0.74 versus $1.13 in the prior year quarter. Total revenue is projected to decline by 7.4%. Last month, this stock experienced a technical breakthrough with the 50-day moving average cutting above the 200-day moving average. With the stock’s current trajectory, traders can expect longer term resistance levels to come into play. Traders can gain insight into these levels by reviewing our Suncor trading report.

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