Earnings Preview: Sara Lee

Sara Lee (SLE) is expected to report Q1 earnings before market open Wednesday, November 5, with conference call scheduled for 9:00 am EST.

Guidance

Analysts are expecting a profit of 23c on revenue of $3.35B. The consensus range for EPS is 16c to 42c with a revenue range of $3.27B to $3.41B, according to First Call. When Sara Lee reported Q4 results in August, the company gave FY09 guidance of $1.12-$1.20 vs. a consensus of 97c. Since the Q4 report on August 7, Sara Lee's stock is down over -19%.

Analyst Views

According to Goldman Sachs analyst Judy Hong, Sara Lee fared well over a recent 12-week period, and was one of the few companies that she covers that posted volume sales growth over that time. However, she noted that competition with store brands was increasing.