A Few Earnings Surprises Emerged This Week

At first I thought my eyes deceived me, but after reading deeper, Peabody Energy actually turned a profit this quarter. Thanks to a few one-time items, the company unearthed $0.33 per share in earnings this past quarter versus the expected loss of $0.05 per share analysts had buried the company under. Not to be outdone, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold beat earnings predictions as well.

Both companies achieved these goals in different ways, while continuing to struggle in certain areas of their businesses. Thankfully there were some bright spots, which Motley Fool analyst Taylor Muckerman points out in the following video with analyst Joel South. Tune in to find out why these stocks were up so big during today's trading.

One area where Freeport certainly didn't shine was in its gold mining business. The price of gold just hasn't been kind to Freeport and its peers. However, with the big lift to gold prices on Monday, the tide might finally be turning. Thankfully, The Motley Fool has a new free report, "The Best Way to Play Gold Right Now", which dissects the recent volatility and provides a guide for gold investing. Click here to read the full report today!

The article A Few Earnings Surprises Emerged This Week originally appeared on Fool.com.

Joel South has no position in any stocks mentioned. Taylor Muckerman has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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