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TOTAL (TOT) to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in the Offing?

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TOTAL S.A. is expected to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 7, before the opening bell. This Integrated International Oil & Gas company missed earnings estimates in two of the last four quarters, resulting in average negative surprise of 2.55%.

Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Factors to Consider

The extended protest in France over pay and bonuses resulted in lower-than-expected production and supplies from TOTAL’s refineries, which can impact profitability. Moreover, political instability in the Middle East is a major risk for the oil market and TOTAL is not immune from such risks.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter has declined 29.5% to $1.22 per share over the past 90 days, indicating bearish analysts’ sentiments surrounding the stock.

TOTAL continues to benefit from cost-saving initiatives, accretive acquisitions and the startup of new projects.

 

TOTAL S.A. Price and EPS Surprise

What Does the Zacks Model Unveil?

Our proven model indicates that TOTAL is unlikely to beat estimates this earnings season. This is because it currently does not have the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at $1.22 per share.

Zacks Rank: TOTAL currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions.

Stocks to Consider

Investors can consider the following players from the Zacks Oil and Energy Sector that have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the to-be-reported quarter.

EQT Corporation (EQT - Free Report) is anticipated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 14. It has an Earnings ESP of +1.90% and carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Noble Corporation (NE - Free Report) is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 20. It has an Earnings ESP of +1.08% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN - Free Report) is anticipated to release fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 7. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.22% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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