Earnings Call

A conference call between the management of a public company, analysts, investors and the media to discuss the financial results during a given reporting period such as a quarter or a fiscal year. An earnings call is usually preceded by an earnings report, which contains summary information on financial performance for the period.

The term "earnings call" is a combination of a company's report of "earnings" - i.e. its net income or earnings per share - and the conference call to discuss results.

The term "earnings call" is generally taken to mean a periodic call wherein management discusses financial performance for a period, regardless of whether the company actually has earnings or not. The vast majority of listed companies host earnings calls to discuss their financial results, although small companies with minimal investor interest may be the exception to the rule. Many companies provide a phone recording or presentation of the earnings call on their corporate websites for a number of weeks after the actual call, making it possible for investors who could not log-in to the call to access this information.