Analysts were expecting Covenant Transportation Group, Inc. (CVTI) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $-0.09 for last quarter, but CVTI missed expectations with actual earnings of $-0.14---5 cents below the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $-0.05 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that CVTI’s earnings are down this year.

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Also, if you compare CVTI's 5.00% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 11.61% for the Trucking industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect CVTI to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Trucking industry, you can see how analysts believe CVTI will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like JB Hunt Transport Services Inc. (JBHT) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Landstar System Inc. (LSTR) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe JBHT's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 11.48% while LSTR's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 17.50%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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