Earnings Preview for Dec 24 - 28

The U.S. financial markets will be operating on a holiday schedule over the next two weeks:

• Monday, Dec 24 - Stock exchanges close at 1 p.m, ET.
• Tuesday, Dec. 25 - U.S. financial markets closed
• Wednesday, Dec 26 - U.S. financial markets operating regular hours
• Monday, Dec. 31 - Stock exchanges operating regular hours (4 p.m. ET close)
• Tuesday, Jan 1 - U.S. financial markets closed
• Wednesday, Jan. 2 - Stock exchanges operating regular hours

Only three companies are confirmed to report during Christmas week:

• Christopher & Banks (CBK - Snapshot Report) will report on Wednesday, Dec 27 after the close of trading. The majority of covering brokerage analysts raised their fiscal third-quarter estimates a couple of weeks ago after CBK said that earnings would at the high end of its guidance. The company had previously projected per share profits of 26 to 28 cents per share. The consensus earnings estimate now calls for 27 cents per share, up from the previous average forecast of 23 cents per share. CBK has topped expectations twice in the past four quarters.
• Luby's (LUB - Snapshot Report) will also report on Thursday, Dec 27, after the close of trading. Earnings estimates are unchanged at seven cents per share, but the company has missed expectations for two consecutive quarters.
• Mesa Air Group (MESA - Snapshot Report) will report on Friday, Dec 28, before the start of trading. The consensus fiscal fourth-quarter earnings estimate has been revised upwards by a penny within the past seven days to 19 cents per share. MESA recently said that its load factor was essentially unchanged in November from a year prior. Prior to meeting fiscal-third quarter expectations, the company had missed expectations three consecutive times.

The economic calendar will also be very quiet. November durable goods orders and the Conference Board's December consumer confidence index will be released on Thursday. November new home sales data will be published on Friday.

Happy holidays!

Charles Rotblut, CFA is the senior market analyst for Zacks.com. He can be reached at crotblut@zacks.com