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

• Aeropostale Inc. (NYSE: ARO) reported strong Q4 numbers as same-store sales increased.
• American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) same-store sales fell in Q4 but earnings met expectations.
• ArcSight Inc. (NASDAQ: ARST) continued its growth in Q3 and it forecast continued growth.
• Buckle Inc. (NYSE: BKE) posted a better-than-expected Q4 profit and continued same-store sales growth.
• Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) CEO said in a memo that it earned a profit in the first two months of this quarter.
• Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) beat Q4 earnings estimates but same-store sales fell.

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

• Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) Q2 profits topped expectations, but it warned of weak sales in the second half.
• China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (NYSE: SNP) first-half profits tanked due to government price controls.
• Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL ) fell short of Q2 earnings estimates, surprising even Jim Cramer.
• Dillard's Inc. (NYSE: DDS) beat analysts' expectations despite widening its Q2 net loss.
• Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: GILT) missed Q2 expectations and a merger fell through.
• J. Crew Group Inc. (NYSE: JCG) Q2 net income slipped on lower sales and gross margins.
• JP Morgan & Chase Co. (NYSE: JPM) earnings have been hurt by investments in Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac.
• LDK Solar Co. (NYSE: LDK) raised its 2009 revenue guidance on reaching peak silicon wafer capacity.
• Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ: MRVL) beat Q2 expectations but gave a conservative Q3 outlook.
• Rio Tinto Group (NYSE: RTP) first-half profits more than doubled on its acquisition of Alcan.
• Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) swung to a Q3 loss due in part to rising commodities prices.
• Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) Q2 earnings plunged more than expected on further sluggish sales.
• SkillSoft PLC (NASDAQ: SKIL) beat Q2 expectations and offered Q3 and full-year guidance.
• Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) swung to a Q1 loss due in part to rising commodities prices.
• Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) nearly doubled its Q2 loss due to lower sales and restructuring charges.
• Thornburg Mortgage Inc. (NYSE: TMA) posted a Q2 profit but warned of possible collapse on margin calls.
• Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) doubled its Q2 profit on strong international sales, and raised its guidance.
• TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO) unexpectedly swung to a Q2 profit but forcast another loss in Q3.

Upcoming quarterly reports include Guess (NYSE: GES), Collective Brands (NYSE: PSS), H&R Block, (NYSE: HRB), Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS), Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN), Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL); and National Semiconductor (NASDAQ: NSM).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Rising commodities prices led both Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD), the nation's largest pork producer and processor, and poultry producer Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) to report quarterly losses on Tuesday.

Smithfield Foods said it lost $12.6 million, or 9 cents per share, in its fiscal first quarter due in part to a $20.1 million write-down in the value of commodity contracts. The Smithfield, Va.-based company had reported a profit of $54.6 million, or 41 cents per share, a year ago.

Revenues rose 20% to $3.14 billion in the quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had forecast a loss of 4 cents per share on $2.87 billion in sales.

In addition to hurting from high costs for such ingredients as grain and fuel, Smithfield also faces an oversupply of meat on the market, which is keeping prices for pork lower. To help push prices up, meat producers such as Smithfield have announced intentions to cut supply.

Shares of Smithfield fell 88 cents, or 3.7%, to $22.71 in morning trading. That's up from a 52-week low of $16.61 in early July, but shares have fallen about 21% since the beginning of the year.

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

• Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) beat Q1 expectations and offered Q2 and full-year earnings guidance.
• Brown-Forman Corp. (NYSE: BF.B) beat Q4 estimates on demand for Jack Daniels and Finlandia vodka.
• Collective Brands Inc. (NYSE: PSS) reported strong Q1 results despite a litigation charge.
• Del Monte Foods Co. (NYSE: DLM) Q4 earnings surged 37% but fell short of analysts' estimates.
• Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) beat Q1 earnings expectations and offered Q2 and full-year guidance.
• Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS) Q1 earnings surged 38% but fell short of expectations.
• Guess Inc. (NYSE: GES) reported strong Q1 results on strength in Europe and Asia.
• National Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: NSM) posted better-than-expected Q4 results.
• Nucor Corp. (NYSE: NUE) raised its earnings outlook for the coming Q2 report, sending shares higher.
• SeaChange International Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAC) reported better-than-expected Q1 results.
• Smithfield Foods Corp. (NYSE: SFD) Q1 profits fell 94% on rising grain costs and falling hog prices.
• Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) reported a smaller-than-expected Q2 loss, lifting shares.
• Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods (NYSE: WBD) reported strong Q1 results that beat Wall Street expectations.

See also: Earnings highlights: Wal-Mart, Lehman Bros., Take-Two, Ciena, Trina Solar and others

Also, continued real estate losses are expected to hurt the quarterly reports of banks such as like Wachovia (NYSE: WB), Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), and National City (NYSE: NCC). And Steven Mallas wonders why Playboy (NYSE: PLA) shares have tanked since its last earnings report.

Upcoming results to watch for include Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD), Pall Corp. (NYSE: PLL), Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY), Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY), and Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ: CASY).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

On Thursday, Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS), which spun off from Cadbury Schweppes (OTC: CSGWF) last month, and canned foods manufacturer Del Monte Foods Co. (NYSE: DLM) both reported double-digit profit growth for their fourth quarters, but still missed analysts' expectations. Smithfield Foods Corp. (NYSE: SFD), the U.S.'s largest hog producer and pork processor, said its first-quarter profits tumbled, hurt by rising grain costs and falling hog prices.

Plano, Texas-based Dr Pepper reported that its first-quarter earnings surged 38% from a year ago to $95 million, or 38 cents per share, as the company raised prices to offset lower volume and rising commodity costs. Adjusted for a restructuring charge, earnings were 36 cents per share. Sales for the three months ended March 31 grew 3% to $1.31 billion.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected earnings of 41 cents per share on revenue of $1.27 billion.

Dr Pepper shares rose more than a dollar, or 4%, in morning trading to $25.00, just shy of the price at which the stock began trading last month.

Here's a peek at what analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are expecting from companies scheduled to report quarterly results in the first week of June, 2008.

The following companies are expected to post earnings growth, compared to the same period in the previous year:

• Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) up 136.6% (from a loss) to $1.12 per share, on $499.1 million in revenue
• Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) up 58.3% to 12 cents per share, on $71.8 million in revenue
• Vimpelcom Communications (NYSE: VIP) up 54.2% to 59 cents per share, on $2.1 billion in revenue
• Focus Media Ltd. (NASDAQ: FMCN) up 36.4% to 33 cents per share, on $161.3 million in revenue
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) up 29.7% to 37 cents per share, on $238.4 million in revenue
• Greif Inc. (NYSE: GEF) up 24.1% to 87 cents per share, on $839.9 million in revenue
• Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) up 18.4% to $2.44 per share, on $474.8 million in revenue
• Guess? Inc. (NYSE: GES) up 17.4% to 46 cents per share, on $451.6 million in revenue
• Del Monte Foods Co. (NYSE: DLM) up 15.4% to 26 cents per share, on $1.0 billion in revenue
• Cooper Companies Inc. (NYSE: COO) up 14.6% to 48 cents per share, on $256.7 million in revenue
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (NYSE: JTX) up 1.9% to $2.08 per share, on $161.6 million in revenue

Back on Tuesday, JP Morgan recommended investors buy shares of Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NYSE: SFD) into their earnings report, with expectations of a strong quarter. Early this morning, the Virginia-based hog, pork and beef producer blew away third-quarter earnings, reporting Q1 earnings per share (EPS) of 47 cents, well over the consensus of 42 cents.

To help achieve this monumental quarter, Smithfield continued its focus on higher margin and fully processed products, a strategy that had produced better margins in their pork segment a year ago. "Generally, the second and third quarters are the best for the pork segment as demand generally improves as we enter the Fall holiday period," CEO C. Larry Pope said in a statement today. Pope expects the live hog market to remain strong for the next six-to-twelve months. Excluding the problems in Romania, Pope said he was "reasonably optimistic about the remainder of fiscal 2008."

With a solid first quarter behind them, does this mean the best is yet to come for Smithfield? Despite the market facing some pressure today, Smithfield Foods is up $2.40, to $32.47.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Callaway Golf Co (ELY), Genentech, Inc (DNA), LSI Logic Corp (LSI) and Evergreen Solar, Inc (ELSR) were today's more notable initiations.

• Merriman initiated Callaway Golf Co (NYSE: ELY) with a Buy rating and believes new management could get the company back on track.
  

• Genentech (NYSE:DNA) was initiated at Prudential with a Neutral rating and $92 target. The firm believes the lack of a new product launch before 2010 is a concern for long-term growth.

• American Technology believes shares of LSI Logic (NYSE: LSI) are undervalued, initiating the company with a Buy rating and $13 target, given synergies and revenue opportunities from the merger with Agere Systems, Inc (AGR).

• Bank of America initiated Evergreen Solar Inc (NASDAQ: ESLR) with a Sell rating and $8 target to reflect the lack of visibility on its growth, which puts the company at a competitive disadvantage.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• Salary.com, Inc (NASDAQ: SLRY) was initiated at Pacific Crest and Wachovia with an Outperform rating and at Thomas Weisel with an Overweight rating.

• Prudential started Gilead Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ: GILD) with an Overweight rating and $90 target.

• BMO initiated Smithfield Foods, Inc (NYSE: SFD) with with an Outperform rating and $36 target.

• Kaufman Brothers started VeriChip Corp (NASDAQ: CHIP) with a Buy rating, believing the company's growth position is compelling given its patented, FDA-approved microchip that can be implanted into humans for a variety of applications.

• Citigroup started Amgen, Inc (NASDAQ: AMGN) with a Hold rating and $64 target.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).