Hasbro

Apple Inc. and Caterpillar Inc. results this week will help determine whether the quarterly earnings season is stuck in a well-worn groove: Companies' bottom-line results look OK, but sales are coming up short.Of the 100 companies on the S&P 500 that have released results, about 72% have reported earnings results above the mean estimate, slightly above the average of 70% over the past four quarters, says John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet.That hasn't been the case for revenue, however. Only 45% have reported revenue above mean estimates, below the 52% average of the past four quarters, according to Butters. So far, the blended earnings growth rate for the quarter is up 0.1%, with revenue down 0.1%, according to FactSet.Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)--one of 10 companies on the Dow Jones Industrial Average that reported results last week--was a typical example of a company that impressed more on earnings than sales. It managed to sidestep an industry-wide slump in PC sales to repo...

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