DryShips Inc. (DRYS) Earnings: An Early Look

Earnings season is winding down, with most companies already having reported their quarterly results. But there are still some companies left to report, and DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ:DRYS) is about to release its quarterly earnings report. The key to making smart investment decisions with stocks releasing their quarter reports is to anticipate how they’ll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you’ll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ:DRYS) has suffered especially hard from the huge decline in the shipping industry in recent years. But the company’s deepwater drilling business has helped save it from an even worse fate. Will shipping recover in time to save DryShips? Let’s take an early look at what’s been happening with DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ:DRYS) over the past quarter and what we’re likely to see in its quarterly report on Wednesday.

Stats on DryShips

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Will DryShips sink or float this quarter?
Analysts have pared their estimates on DryShips in recent months, with the biggest change coming in their 2013 full-year consensus, on which they’ve reversed earlier projections for a profit and now expect a small loss. In response, the stock has given up just about all of its gains from December and January, falling nearly 20% in just the past month.

The hard times for dry-bulk shippers continue, as shipping rates remain at rock-bottom levels due to overcapacity and weak conditions leading to reduced global commerce. Last month’s disappointing earnings report from Genco Shipping & Trading Limited (NYSE:GNK) stressed the weakness in the industry, as Genco posted a wider-than-expected loss as the Baltic Dry Index still trades near multiyear lows. In particular, commodity demand has been weak, leading to less global transport of commodities by ship.