http://seekingalpha.com/article/302...f-3q11-earnings
Baidu: History Shows Investors Should Be Cautious Ahead Of 3Q11 Earnings
Chinese Internet search bellwether Baidu (BIDU) will report 3Q11 earnings on October 27, after the market closes. Historical patterns suggest investors should be cautious on Baidu shares ahead of the 3Q11 earnings release.
First, Baidu has reported Q3 earnings six times since its IPO. For two out of these six quarters, Baidu shares rose on the next trading day following Q3 earnings releases (green columns in Chart 1), representing a 33% "winning percentage." By comparison, for 16 out of Baidu's total 25 quarterly reports, Baidu shares rose on the trading day following the releases, representing a 64% winning percentage (Chart 1). Historically, Q3 has been Baidu's worst quarter in terms of next-day performance (Chart 1), with an average price change of -5.3% on the day following Q3 earnings releases.
Second, Baidu has released quarterly revenue guidance six times since its IPO. For five out of these six quarters, Baidu's actual revenue beat the midpoint of guidance range (Chart 2), representing a 83% winning percentage. On average, Baidu has beat guidance midpoint by 3.9% historically. On average, Baidu has beat guidance midpoint by 5.3% in Q1 reports, 3.9% in Q2, 2.8% in Q3, and 3.8% in Q4. This shows Q3 has been the worst quarter in a year in terms of the magnitude of the beat (Table 1).
These patterns show that statistically it has been a bad idea to buy Baidu shares ahead of Q3 earnings releases. My explanation for the patterns is: Due to seasonality, Q2 has been the strongest quarter in terms of Baidu's quarter-over-quarter revenue growth. Impressed by strong Q2 results, investors increased their expectations for Q3, the following quarter. Sometimes such increases were excessive, causing earnings disappointments. It is certainly possible for Baidu's 3Q11 results to surprise the market on the upside, like it did in 3Q10. However, statistically, it makes sense to take a cautious stance before Baidu reports 3Q11 earnings.