S&P 500 (NYSE:SPY) component Dover Corp (NYSE:DOV) will unveil its latest earnings on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. Dover operates a portfolio of manufacturing companies providing innovative components and equipment, specialty systems, and support services for a variety of applications to global customers.

Dover Corp Earnings Preview Cheat Sheet.

Wall St. Earnings Expectations: The average estimate of analysts is for profit of $1.04 per share, a rise of 10.6% from the company’s actual earnings for the same quarter a year ago. During the past three months, the average estimate has moved down from $1.09. Between one and three months ago, the average estimate moved down. It also has dropped from $1.05 during the last month. For the year, analysts are projecting net income of $4.45 per share, a rise of 28.2% from last year.

Past Earnings Performance: Last quarter, the company beat estimates by 8 cents, coming in at profit of $1.20 a share versus the estimate of net income of $1.12 a share. It marked the fourth straight quarter of beating estimates.

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Wall St. Revenue Expectations: On average, analysts predict $2.04 billion in revenue this quarter, a rise of 8.5% from the year ago quarter. Analysts are forecasting total revenue of $8.23 billion for the year, a rise of 15.4% from last year’s revenue of $7.13 billion.

Analyst Ratings: Analysts are bullish on Dover as three analysts rate it as a buy, one rates it as a sell and four rate it as a hold.

A Look Back: In the third quarter, profit fell 23% to $172.3 million (91 cents a share) from $223.8 million ($1.19 a share) the year earlier, but exceeded analyst expectations. Revenue rose 16.8% to $2.2 billion from $1.89 billion.

Key Stats:

The company has enjoyed double-digit year-over-year percentage revenue growth for the past four quarters. Over that span, the company has averaged growth of 21.4%, with the biggest boost coming in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year when revenue rose 24.5% from the year earlier quarter.

The decrease in profit in the third quarter broke a streak of three consecutive quarters of year-over-year profit increases. Net income rose 47% in the second quarter, 80.3% in the first quarter and more than twofold in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year.

Competitors to Watch: Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW), Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR), Spectrum Control, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPEC), Actuant Corporation (NYSE:ATU), SPX Corporation (NYSE:SPW), Gardner Denver, Inc. (NYSE:GDI), 3M Company (NYSE:MMM), IDEX Corporation (NYSE:IEX), The LGL Group, Inc. (AMEX:LGL), and AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME).

Stock Price Performance: During October 21, 2011 to January 19, 2012, the stock price had risen $8.47 (16.2%) from $52.38 to $60.85. The stock price saw one of its best stretches over the last year between February 3, 2011 and February 14, 2011 when shares rose for eight-straight days, rising 4.6% (+$2.94) over that span. It saw one of its worst periods between April 1, 2011 and April 14, 2011 when shares fell for 10-straight days, falling 4.3% (-$2.84) over that span.

(Company fundamentals by Xignite Financials. Earnings estimates provided by Zacks)

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