General Electric Company (GE) Earnings Preview: Will It Beat Expectations In Second Quarter? [VIDEO]

General Electric Company (NYSE:GS) is forecast to report second-quarter earnings before the market opens Friday, with a profit of $3.6 billion, or 36 cents per share, down from $4.01 billion, or 38 cents per share a year ago, according to analysts polled by Reuters.

GE saw a drop in revenue in the first quarter, and analysts expect it will edge down 2.6 percent from a year ago.

Although the company’s earnings are expected to slide in the quarter, investors are optimistic about growth projections, as GE is expected to outline a strong outlook for the rest of the year, helped by an improving U.S. economy.

Shares of GE closed Thursday’s session up 0.38 percent to $23.63.

Also on the earnings calendar for Friday, Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI), Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON), First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE: FHN), Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB), State Street Corp. (NYSE: STT) and SunTrust Banks Inc. (NYSE: STI) report second-quarter results before the market opens.