FedEx, Oracle, Walgreen, General Mills: Earnings Reports To Watch, Dec. 18-21

Since the start of the quarter (Sept. 30), the estimated earnings growth for companies in the S&P 500 index has dropped to 3 percent from 9.3 percent, according to data from FactSet.

Seven of the 10 sectors have witnessed a decline in expected earnings growth over this time frame. The materials, information technology and financials sectors have recorded the largest shortfalls in expected growth.

Meanwhile, the estimated revenue growth rate for the fourth quarter is 2.4 percent, down slightly from an expectation of 2.7 percent on Sept. 30, according to FactSet.

We ran a screen and produced a list of 21 notable companies set to report their earnings between Dec. 18 and Dec. 21. We have highlighted their expected reporting dates and times, along with analysts' EPS and revenue estimates from Reuters, as well as the stocks' year-to-date performances.

Tuesday Before Market Open, or BMO:

Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF) is a U.S.-based firm that operates as a securities and investment banking firm. The company has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 fourth-quarter EPS of 32 cents on revenue of $722.56 million, compared with a profit of 21 cents per share on revenue of $536.37 million in the year-ago period. Jefferies is trading around $18.1 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 31.64 percent.

Tuesday After Market Close, or AMC:

Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq: ORCL) is an enterprise software company. The company has a market capitalization of $154.02 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 second-quarter EPS of 48 cents on revenue of $9.03 billion, compared with a profit of 43 cents per share on revenue of $8.81 billion in the year-ago period. Oracle is trading around $31.96 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 24.6 percent.

Wednesday BMO:

Actuant Corporation (NYSE: ATU) designs, manufactures and distributes a range of industrial products and systems to various end markets. The company has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 first-quarter EPS of 50 cents on revenue of $396.37 million, compared with a profit of 50 cents per share on revenue of $392.8 million in the year-ago period. Actuant is trading around $28.67 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 26.4 percent.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) is a holding company that provides a portfolio of transportation, online commerce, and business services under the FedEx brand. The company has a market capitalization of $28.3 billion. It is expected to report fiscal year 2013 second-quarter EPS of $1.43 on revenue of $10.84 billion, compared with a profit of $1.57 a share on revenue of $10.59 billion in the year-ago period. FedEx is trading around $90.09 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 7.9 percent.

General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS) is a manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. The company has a market capitalization of $26.74 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 second-quarter EPS of 79 cents on revenue of $4.88 billion, compared with a profit of 67 cents per share on revenue of $4.62 billion in the year-ago period. General Mills is trading around $41.45 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 2.6 percent.

Wednesday AMC:

Accenture Plc (NYSE: ACN) is a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. The company has a market capitalization of $55.6 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 first-quarter EPS of $1.04 on revenue of $7.29 billion, compared with a profit of 96 cents per share on revenue of $7.07 billion in the year-ago period. Accenture is trading around $70.21 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 31.9 percent.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBY) is a chain of retail stores. The company has a market capitalization of $13.34 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 third-quarter EPS of $1.02 on revenue of $2.73 billion, compared with a profit of 95 cents per share on revenue of $2.34 billion in the year-ago period. Bed Bath & Beyond is trading around $58.22 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 0.4 percent.

Jabil Circuit Inc. (NYSE: JBL) is a provider of worldwide electronic manufacturing services and solutions. The company has a market capitalization of $3.6 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 first-quarter EPS of 45 cents on revenue of $4.41 billion, compared with a profit of 54 cents per share on revenue of $4.33 billion in the year-ago period. Jabil Circuit is trading around $17.51 per share. So far this year, the stock has lost 10.9 percent.

Paychex Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYX) is a provider of payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small to medium-sized businesses. The company has a market capitalization of $12.25 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 second-quarter EPS of 41 cents on revenue of $573.03 million, compared with a profit of 39 cents per share on revenue of $545.7 million in the year-ago period. Paychex is trading around $33.71 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 12 percent.

Thursday BMO:

CarMax Inc (NYSE: KMX) is a retailer of used cars. The company has a market capitalization of $8.01 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 third-quarter EPS of 38 cents on revenue of $2.46 billion, compared with a profit of 36 cents per share on revenue of $2.26 billion in the year-ago period. CarMax is trading around $35.07 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 15.06 percent.

Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI) is a company owned and full-service restaurant company. The company has a market capitalization of $5.98 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 second-quarter EPS of 27 cents on revenue of $1.95 billion, compared with a profit of 40 cents per share on revenue of $1.83 billion in the year-ago period. Darden Restaurants is trading around $46.46 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 1.9 percent.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct-banking and payment-services company. The company has a market cap of $19.96 billion. It is expected to report FY2012 fourth-quarter EPS of $1.11 on revenue of $1.96 billion, compared with a profit of 95 cents a share on revenue of $1.81 billion in the year-ago period. Discover Financial Services is trading around $39.54 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 64.8 percent.

KB Home (NYSE: KBH) is a homebuilding company. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion. It is expected to report FY2012 fourth-quarter EPS of 5 cents on revenue of $567.06 million, compared with a profit of 18 cents a share on revenue of $479.87 million in the year-ago period. KB Home is trading around $15.65 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 132.9 percent.

Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is a retail drugstore chain. The company has a market capitalization of $930.91 million. It is expected to report a loss of 4 cents per share in the third quarter of fiscal year 2013 on revenue of $6.28 billion, compared with a loss of 6 cents per share on revenue of $6.31 billion in the year-ago period. Rite Aid is trading around $1.03 per share. So far this year, the stock has lost 18.3 percent.

ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is a food company. The company has a market cap of $12.29 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 second-quarter EPS of 55 cents on revenue of $3.69 billion, compared with a profit of 41 cents a share on revenue of $3.4 billion in the year-ago period. ConAgra is trading around $30.15 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 14.2 percent.

Thursday AMC:

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) is a global manufacturer and marketer of semiconductor devices. The company has a market cap of $6.97 billion. It is expected to report a loss of 18 cents per share in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 on revenue of $2.01 billion, compared with a loss of 19 cents a share on revenue of $2.09 billion in the year-ago period. Micron Technology is trading around $6.85 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 8.9 percent.

Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT) is engaged in providing open-source software solutions to enterprises. The company has a market cap of $9.71 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 third-quarter EPS of 19 cents on revenue of $338.05 million, compared with a profit of 19 cents a share on revenue of $290.03 million in the year-ago period. Red Hat is trading around $50.22 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 21.6 percent.

FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) is an integrated fuel cell company. The company has a market cap of $175.55 million. It is expected to report a loss of 5 cents per share in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012 on revenue of $30.75 million, compared with a loss of 6 cents per share on revenue of $34.72 million in the year-ago period. FuelCell Energy is trading around $0.95 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 8.3 percent.

NIKE Inc. (NYSE: NKE) is a seller of athletic footwear and athletic apparel worldwide. The company has a market cap of $43.66 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 second-quarter EPS of $1 on revenue of $5.99 billion, compared with a profit of $1 a share on revenue of $5.73 billion in the year-ago period. Nike is trading around $96.91 a share. So far this year, the stock has appreciated 0.6 percent.

Tibco Software Inc. (Nasdaq: TIBX) is a provider of middleware and infrastructure software. The company has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 fourth-quarter EPS of 28 cents on revenue of $297.6 million, compared with a profit of 30 cents per share on revenue of $289.51 million in the year-ago period. Tibco Software is trading around $20.58 per share. So far this year, the stock has lost 13.9 percent.

Friday BMO:

Walgreen Company (NYSE: WAG) together with its subsidiaries, operates drugstore chains in the U.S. The company has a market capitalization of $34.77 billion. It is expected to report FY 2013 first-quarter EPS of 65 cents on revenue of $17.5 billion, compared with a profit of 63 cents per share on revenue of $18.16 billion in the year-ago period. Walgreen is trading around $36.76 per share. So far this year, the stock has gained 11.2 percent.