Analysts were expecting Assurant Inc. (AIZ) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $0.94 for last quarter, but AIZ beat expectations with actual earnings of $1.07---13 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $0.70 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that AIZ’s earnings are up this year.

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Also, if you compare AIZ's 8.75% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 11.46% for the Accident & Health Insurance industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect AIZ to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Accident & Health Insurance industry, you can see how analysts believe AIZ will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like StanCorp Financial Group Inc. (SFG) [Chart - News - Analysis] and AFLAC Inc. (AFL) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe SFG's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 9.00% while AFL's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 13.72%.

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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