Adobe, Oracle, FedEx, General Mills: Earnings Reports To Watch, March 18-22

The fourth-quarter earnings reporting season is closing on a surprisingly good note, but analysts’ first-quarter growth estimates are looking bearish.

Responding to U.S. companies’ fourth-quarter performance, the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched a 10-session advance, its longest win streak in more than 16 years. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index got within 2 points of its all-time closing high of 1,565.15 in October 2007.

However, of the 107 companies that have issued earnings per share guidance for the first quarter, 82 have issued projections below the mean EPS estimate and 25 have issued a projection above the mean EPS estimate. Thus, 77 percent (82 out of 107) of the companies that have issued EPS guidance to date for the first three months of this year have issued negative guidance. This percentage is well above the five-year average of 61 percent, according to data provided by FactSet.

We ran a screen and produced a list of 10 notable companies set to report earnings March 18-22. We have highlighted their expected reporting dates and times, along with analysts' earnings-per-share and revenue estimates from Reuters, as well as the stocks' year-to-date performances.

Tuesday After Market Close, or AMC:

Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) is a diversified software company. The company has a market cap of $20.76 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 first-quarter EPS of 31 cents on revenue of $986 million, compared with a profit of 57 cents a share on revenue of $1.05 billion in the year-ago period. Adobe is trading at around $41.64 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 10.5 percent.

Wednesday Before Market Open, BMO:

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) is a holding company that provides a portfolio of transportation, online commerce and business services under the FedEx brand. The company has a market capitalization of $34.13 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 third-quarter EPS of $1.39 on revenue of $10.86 billion, compared with a profit of $1.55 a share on revenue of $10.56 billion in the year-ago period. FedEx is trading at around $108.53 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 18.3 percent.

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) is a manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. The company has a market capitalization of $29.96 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 third-quarter EPS of 57 cents on revenue of $4.36 billion, compared with a profit of 55 cents a share on revenue of $4.12 billion in the year-ago period. General Mills is trading at around $46.33 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 14.6 percent.

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) is a homebuilder and a provider of financial services and through its Rialto Investments (Rialto) segment, an investor, and manager of funds that invest in real estate assets. The company has a market capitalization of $7.9 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 first-quarter EPS of 16 cents on revenue of $894.73 million, compared with a profit of 8 cents a share on revenue of $724.86 million in the year-ago period. Lennar Corporation is trading at around $41.52 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 7.3 percent.

Wednesday AMC:

Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE: JBL) is a provider of worldwide electronic manufacturing services and solutions. The company has a market capitalization of $3.88 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 second-quarter EPS of 54 cents on revenue of $4.38 billion, compared with a profit of 58 cents a share on revenue of $4.24 billion in the year-ago period. Jabil Circuit is trading at around $19.19 a share. So far this year, the stock has lost 0.5 percent.

Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) is an enterprise software company. The company has a market cap of $171.82 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 third-quarter EPS of 66 cents on revenue of $9.38 billion, compared with a profit of 62 cents a share on revenue of $9.06 billion in the year-ago period. Oracle is trading at around $36.29 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 8.9 percent.

Thursday BMO:

KB Home (NYSE: KBH) is a builder of single-family residential homes, townhomes and condominiums. The company has a market cap of $1.58 billion. It is expected to report a loss of 22 cents a share in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 on revenue of $359.80 million, compared with a loss of 59 cents per share on revenue of $254.56 million in the year-ago period. KB Home is trading at around $20.51 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 29.8 percent.

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), along with its subsidiaries, operates two brands of off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores. The company has a market capitalization of $12.62 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 fourth-quarter EPS of $1.07 on revenue of $2.75 billion, compared with a profit of 85 cents a share on revenue of $2.40 billion in the year-ago period. Ross Stores is trading at around $56.72 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 4.9 percent.

Thursday AMC:

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) is a seller of athletic footwear and athletic apparel worldwide. The company has a market capitalization of $49.37 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 third-quarter EPS of 67 cents on revenue of $6.24 billion, compared with a profit of 60 cents a share on revenue of $5.85 billion in the year-ago period. NIKE is trading at around $54.79 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 6.2 percent.

Tibco Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TIBX) is a provider of middleware and infrastructure software. The company has a market capitalization of $3.9 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 first-quarter EPS of 18 cents on revenue of $242.45 million, compared with a profit of 20 cents a share on revenue of $225.70 million in the year-ago period. Tibco Software is trading at around $23.90 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 8.8 percent.