A sign is seen outside the JPMorgan office in Los Angeles
A sign is seen outside the JPMorgan office in Los Angeles REUTERS

Earnings season kicks off next week, with America's biggest aluminum producer, Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), announcing its second-quarter earnings results on July 9.

The story that is likely to emerge is one of slower profit growth. And looking further ahead, the news is likely to get worse, John Higgins, senior markets economist at Capital Economics, said in a note to clients. This is a key reason why we continue to expect the S&P 500 to end this year and next around the 1,350 mark.

The S&P 500 declined 6.44 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 1,367.58 in Thursday's trading, with financial and energy stocks as the worst performers.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) has been in very hot water since the bank announced in May it had lost $2 billion related to credit derivatives. Some estimates now peg the loss to be as high as $9 billion.

JPMorgan Chase's second-quarter earnings release on July 13 will probably garner most attention as it plans disclose part of the total losses on the soured bet. Despite the loss, CEO Jamie Dimon has given many assurances that the bank is still on track to report solid second-quarter profits.

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) will join JPMorgan Chase to release second-quarter earnings results after the market close on Friday.

We ran a screen and produced a list of six notable companies set to report their earnings July 9-13. 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.

Monday After Market Close, or AMC:

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) is engaged in the production and management of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina combined, through its participation in technology, mining, refining, smelting, fabricating, and recycling. The company has a market capitalization of $9.51 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 second-quarter EPS of 6 cents on revenue of $5.83 billion, compared with a profit of 32 cents a share on revenue of $6.59 billion in the year-ago period. Alcoa is trading around $8.92 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 3.12 percent.

PriceSmart Inc. (Nasdaq: PSMT) consists primarily of international membership shopping warehouse clubs similar to warehouse clubs in the U.S. The company has a market cap of $2.01 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 third-quarter EPS of 60 cents on revenue of $510.68 million, compared with a profit of 55 cents a share on revenue of $431.15 million in the year-ago period. PriceSmart is trading around $66.56 a share. So far this year, the stock has lost 4.35 percent.

Wednesday AMC:

Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is a lodging company with more than 3,700 properties in 73 countries and territories. The company has a market cap of $13.10 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 second-quarter EPS of 42 cents on revenue of $2.84 billion, compared with a profit of 37 cents a share on revenue of $2.97 billion in the year-ago period. Marriott International is trading around $39.58 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 35.69 percent.

Thursday Before Market Open, or BMO:

Fastenal Co. (Nasdaq: FAST) is engaged in selling industrial and construction supplies in a wholesale and retail fashion. The company has a market cap of $12.22 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 second-quarter EPS of 37 cents on revenue of $809.92 million, compared with a profit of 32 cents a share on revenue of $701.73 million in the year-ago period. Fastenal is trading around $41.29 a share. So far this year, the stock has lost 5.32 percent.

Friday BMO:

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a global financial services firm and a banking institution in the U.S., with global operations. The company plans to give more details related to its London Whale trading losses when it reports second-quarter earnings on July 13. Some estimate losses from a bungled credit-derivatives trade could be as much as $9 billion, much more than earlier estimated. JPMorgan has a market cap of $130.87 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 second-quarter EPS of 80 cents on revenue of $21.97 billion, compared with a profit of $1.27 a share on revenue of $27.41 billion in the year-ago period. JPMorgan is trading around $34.38 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 3.4 percent.

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is a bank holding company. The company has a market cap of $176.05 billion. It is expected to report FY 2012 second-quarter EPS of 81 cents on revenue of $21.3 billion, compared with a profit of 70 cents a share on revenue of $20.39 billion in the year-ago period. Wells Fargo is trading around $33.13 a share. So far this year, the stock has gained 20.21 percent.