Athletic foot ware and accessories giant Nike Inc. (NKE) will be reporting its fiscal third quarter results tomorrow after the market closes.

Going into tomorrow's earnings report, analysts are expecting the company to report $0.88 per share, down 11.1% from the same period last year.

The economic downturn hit the company's sales, but last quarter it stated that it was starting to see a turnaround in sales and consumer sentiment. Wall Street will be looking for further signs that sales are starting to improve for company.

If FedEx can still be considered a bellwether for the U.S. economy, then judging by the expectations of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, things must be looking pretty bright. But then again, the expectations for this week's quarterly reports from Nike, GameStop, and Discover tell a different story.

Memphis-based FedEx Corp. (FDX), announced an increase in ground rates and also delivered two pandas from the U.S. to China with its new Boeing 777F during its fiscal third quarter. Earnings for that period are expected to have more than doubled from a year ago to $0.72 per share. And revenue for the three months that ended in February is expected to have risen 2.4% to $8.3 billion. Analysts so far expect sequential and year-over-year growth of EPS and revenue in the fourth quarter. FedEx only fell short of earnings estimates in one of the past five quarters.

We'd all like to know the secrets for buying winning stocks. Here's the first one: there is no secret. No one formula and certainly no one data point is THE answer to finding the next hot stock. That isn't how investing works. But there are certain numbers that will help increase the odds of finding a stock that may go up. Here are some that will help.

Earnings. In real estate, the three most important words are location, location, location. In successful stock investing, they are earnings, earnings, earnings. Ultimately, all investing comes down to earnings. Earnings are what investors own. They contribute to Book Value (see below). They are the reason anyone invests in a stock: to reap the future rewards of a successful company. Earnings growth is what an investor wants to see. The stronger the better. Companies increasing earnings by more than 10% each year for the last three years have been exceptional as the economy has diminished. Look for companies that can grow earnings well above average no matter what the economy does.

The earnings season is winding down, but there are still many big name companies due to report, and tomorrow features grocer giant Kroger Co. (KR). Kroger will be reporting its fourth quarter numbers before the market opens.

Going into tomorrow's earnings report, analysts expect Kroger to earn $0.34 per share. Should the company match analyst estimates it would mark a 34% drop from the 53 cents it earned during the same period last year.

Most of the S&P 500 have reported earnings results this quarter, but on tap this week are Brown-Forman Corp. (BF.B), National Semiconductor Corp. (NSM) and Pall Corp. (PLL), which are expected to post earnings growth, as well as H&R Block Inc. (HRB) and Kroger Co. (KR), which are not.

Most of the high expectations from analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are still with retailers this week, though. Here's a look at a few of them.

Urban Outfitters (URBN - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings this morning, posting a fourth-quarter profit of $77.68 million, or 45 cents per share, on revenue of $588 million. Analysts had forecast a profit of 40 cents per share on revenue of $586 million. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on URBN.

URBN opened this morning at $34.44. So far today the stock has hit a low of $33.95 and a high of $34.75. As of 11:45, URBN is trading at $34.24 up 84 cents (2.5%). The chart for URBN looks bullish and S&P gives URBN a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

While Ciena (CIEN) has shown strength lately, the company had a setback Thursday as it disappointed investors on its fiscal first-quarter results. The company, which is a major supplier of telecom equipment, posted a loss of $53.3 million, or $0.58 per share, which compares to a loss of $24.8 million, or $0.27 per share in the same period a year ago. Revenues were up 4.9% to $175.9 million.

Excluding certain one-time items, Ciena's loss came to $0.12 per share. However, the Street consensus was for a loss of $0.09 per share. So, in morning trading, the shares of Ciena were off 9% to $13.24.

A stronger-than-expected rise in fourth-quarter revenue from Staples Inc. (SPLS) was not enough to offset lower earnings, due to charges related to lawsuits and restructurings, in the eyes of investors.

The office products retailer said Tuesday that its net income for the quarter came to $233.9 million, down from $286 million a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share of $0.38 missed the consensus estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters by a penny.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• American International Group Inc. (AIG) posted a big loss and warned it may require additional assistance.
• Athenahealth (ATHN) shares sank after it delayed earnings and its annual report, and warned of restatements.
• Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) Q3 sales jumped on popularity of the Nook reader but same-store sales declined.
• Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (BRCD) disappointing report and guidance caused a sell-off in shares.
• Dell Inc. (DELL) acquisitions and better-than-expected earnings may not be enough to stop shrinking market share.
• Gap Inc. (GPS) rose after it beat earnings estimates, raised its dividend and announced stock buybacks.

It had a strong performance within a downward trend. That seems to be the characterization of Safeway Inc. (SWY), as revealed in the company's recent 2009 Q4 report. Thursday, the company reported a net loss of nearly $1.61 billion, which was in keeping with its own expectations. Through it all, Safeway Chairman, President and CEO, Steve Burd is taking what appears to be a prideful stance on the company's record 2009 free cash flow of $1.5 billion.

What I am seeing here is a company which has taken a firm and responsible hold of its interior financial workings as its field operations remain subject to economic whims and conditions which are largely out of company control. An active share buy back program, which looks to be perfectly timed, has apparently helped to place a respectable floor beneath the company's share price.

For alternative asset managers, the financial results can be complex and volatile. Just look at the Blackstone Group's (BX) latest quarterly results. Revenues came to $725.3 million, which compares to negative revenues of $611.3 million in the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings were $329.4 million, or $0.29 per share, which is up from a loss of $763.8 million, or $0.68 per share.

Of course, these results also reflect the brutal impact of the credit crunch.

Wynn Resorts (WYNN - option chain) stock is trading slightly lower today after the company reported a fourth-quarter loss of $5.2 million, or 4 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, WYNN earned 8 cents per share on revenue of $809 million. Analysts had forecast a profit of 13 cents per share on revenue of $784 million. Though the company was pleased with results from its Macau properties, company CEO Steve Wynn told a conference call that the company has a bearish outlook for its Las Vegas properties. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on WYNN.

This morning, WYNN opened at $62.49. So far today the stock has hit a high of $63.11 and a low of $61.18. As of 11:55, WYNN is trading at $62.39, down 41 cents (-0.6%). The chart for WYNN looks neutral and S&P gives WYNN a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Limited Brands (LTD - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings last night, posting a fourth-quarter profit of $356.11 million or $1.08 per share. Excluding one-time items, LTD earned $1.01 per share on revenue of $3.06 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of 98 cents per share on revenue of $3.05 billion. Since the rest of the market is in the dumps today, the advances made by LTD stock are even more significant as they have to overcome that downward push. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on LTD.

LTD opened this morning at $22.03. So far today the stock has hit a low of $21.90 and a high of $22.53. As of 1:00, LTD is trading at $22.07 up 53 cents (2.5%). The chart for LTD looks neutral and S&P gives LTD a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

DryShips Inc. (DRYS) has a date in the earnings spotlight after Thursday's closing bell, with the drybulk shipper slated to release its fourth-quarter results. Analysts are expecting DryShips to report a profit of 23 cents per share, modestly lower than its year-ago earnings of 25 cents per share. The company has a decidedly mixed history on the earnings front; during the past four reporting periods, Dryships has topped analysts' consensus expectations twice and fallen short on two other occasions.

Ahead of the report, calls are the options of choice among speculative investors. During the past 10 days, traders on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and the International Securities Exchange (ISE) have bought to open 6.87 calls for every put on DRYS. In other words, option players have purchased nearly seven times more bullish bets than bearish.

Shares of TJX Cos. (TJX) are trading higher this morning after the company posted better than expected numbers for its fiscal 2010 fourth quarter.

Going into this morning's earnings report, analysts were expecting the company to post earnings of 91 cents per share. The company outpaced estimates with a reported 94 cents per share.