How long is the blackout period before earnings?

The length of time for a blackout is not limited by law. If the blackout is expected to last for more than three days, a notice of it must be given to the employees. 1 However, the blackout period can last for weeks or even months. A blackout period may be imposed because a plan is being restructured or altered.

What is a quarterly blackout period?

The same persons who are subject to quarterly blackout periods are generally prohibited from trading in the Company’s securities during the period beginning when the Company is assembling the interim earnings information to be released and ending when the information has been released and fully absorbed by the market.

Can you exercise shares during a blackout period?

A: You can exercise stock options during a blackout period. However, if you are an Insider, you must pay the exercise price in cash (you cannot do a “cashless” or “net” exercise). Additionally, Insiders may not sell the shares received upon exercise of their options until the end of the blackout period.

Can I transfer stock during a blackout period?

Generally, during the blackout period, you are prohibited from directly or indirectly, purchasing, selling or otherwise transferring any “equity security” of the Company that you acquired in connection with your service as a director or an executive officer.

Is it better to sell or exercise an option?

As it turns out, there are good reasons not to exercise your rights as an option owner. Instead, closing the option (selling it through an offsetting transaction) is often the best choice for an option owner who no longer wants to hold the position.

What should investors look for in fourth quarter earnings?

As fourth quarter earnings reports pick up speed, investors will shift their focus from monetary policy to look for signs of relief in company profits and other corporate metrics after economic uncertainty and worries around the Federal Reserve’s pace of interest rate hikes have weighed heavily on markets to start the new year.

What is the average earnings growth rate for the fourth quarter?

The blended (combines actual results for companies that have reported and estimated results for companies that have yet to report) earnings growth rate for the fourth quarter is 29.2% today, compared to an earnings growth rate of 24.3% last week and an earnings growth rate of 21.3% at the end of the fourth quarter (December 31).

What will drive S&P 500 earnings growth in Q4?

S&P 500 earnings in aggregate were expected to grow 21.7% for the fourth-quarter of 2021, according to recent data from FactSet Research vice president and senior earnings analyst John Butters. That figure would mark a fourth consecutive quarter that earnings growth tops 20%.

Will 2022 be the year of the S&P 500’s highest earnings?

Industry experts have previously predicted companies in the S&P 500 will report record-high earnings per share in 2022. Butters has pointed out that the bottom-up EPS estimate for the S&P 500 was $222. 32 as of last month.