S&P 500 (NYSE:SPY) component Time Warner Cable, Inc. (NYSE:TWC) will unveil its latest earnings on Thursday, January 26, 2012. Time Warner Cable, together with its subsidiaries, is a cable operator in the United States.

Time Warner Cable, Inc. Earnings Preview Cheat Sheet.

Wall St. Earnings Expectations: The average estimate of analysts is for profit of $1.20 per share, a rise of 21.2% 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 $1.26. Between one and three months ago, the average estimate moved down. It has been unchanged at $1.20 during the last month. Analysts are projecting profit to rise by 19.6% versus last year to $4.45.

Past Earnings Performance: The company missed estimates last quarter after beating forecasts in the prior two. In the third quarter, the company reported net income of $1.11 per share versus a mean estimate of profit of $1.14 per share. In the second quarter, the company beat estimates by 3 cents.

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Wall St. Revenue Expectations: On average, analysts predict $4.97 billion in revenue this quarter, a rise of 3.5% from the year ago quarter. Analysts are forecasting total revenue of $19.63 billion for the year, a rise of 4% from last year’s revenue of $18.87 billion.

Analyst Ratings: Analysts are bullish on this stock with 14 analysts rating it as a buy, none rating it as a sell and seven rating it as a hold.

A Look Back: In the third quarter, profit fell 1.1% to $356 million ($1.08 a share) from $360 million ($1 a share) the year earlier, missing analyst expectations. Revenue rose 3.7% to $4.91 billion from $4.73 billion.

Key Stats:

The decrease in profit in the third quarter broke a streak of three consecutive quarters of year-over-year profit increases. Net income rose 22.8% in the second quarter, 51.9% in the first quarter and 21.7% in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year.

Revenue has risen the past four quarters. Revenue rose 4.4% in the second quarter from the year earlier, climbed 5% in the first quarter from the year-ago quarter and 5.9% in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year.

Competitors to Watch: Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA), Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE:CVC), Mediacom Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:MCCC), Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), DISH Network Corp. (NASDAQ:DISH), Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), DIRECTV (NASDAQ:DTV), and China Cablecom Hldgs. Ltd. (NASDAQ:CABL).

Stock Price Performance: During November 21, 2011 to January 20, 2012, the stock price had risen $9.78 (16.5%) from $59.27 to $69.05. The stock price saw one of its best stretches over the last year between January 6, 2012 and January 20, 2012 when shares rose for 10-straight days, rising 7.8% (+$5.02) over that span. It saw one of its worst periods between July 22, 2011 and August 4, 2011 when shares fell for 10-straight days, falling 14.8% (-$11.50) over that span.

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

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