Analysts were expecting IAMGOLD Corp. (IAG) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $0.10 for last quarter, but IAG beat expectations with actual earnings of $0.18---8 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $0.06 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that IAG’s earnings are up this year.

{loadposition link_newslink1}

Also, if you compare IAG's 3.57% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 10.72% for the Gold industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect IAG to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Gold industry, you can see how analysts believe IAG will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Compania de Minas Buenaventura SA (BVN) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe AU's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 0.00% while BVN's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 8.70%.

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

{loadposition link_nowtime}

{loadposition followus}

{loadposition link_newslink1}

Many investors are still worried about inflation and talk from the Fed of rising commodity prices could give us a preview of when the Fed may plan to raise rates again. The Fed has kept rates at historic lows as it seeks to spur bank activity in the wake of the financial crisis.

Traders are especially interested to see the reaction to industries Gold, where the strong correlation to the US Dollar makes it susceptible to the storm that surrounds Fed announcements. While big gains were found in morning trading on the S&P 500 and DJIA, the gold sector was more tentative, with Rangold Resources Ltd (GOLD) trading slightly up at $57.95. Similarly, Goldcorp, USA (GG) was up less than 1% when the major indexes were pushing 2% gains. IAMGOLD Corporation USA (IAG) was actually down in morning trading over 2%.   

{loadposition link_nowtime}