Epicor Software Corporation (EPIC) [Chart - Analysis - News] is scheduled to announce earnings after the market closes on Thursday, October 28th. Looking at the analyst consensus, it appears most traders believe EPIC is going to announce a profit of 15 cents per share.

As you prepare for EPIC’s announcement on Thursday, remember that a profit of 15 cents per share has already been priced into the value of the stock. So if earnings come in at that level, we probably won’t see much change in the price of the stock—unless the company changes its outlook for the future. It’s also important to remember that good earnings don’t always lead to higher stock prices.

Investors will also be evaluating other stocks in the Application Software industry as EPIC announces its earnings to see if any of the same factors that are influencing EPIC may also come to bear on those stocks.

Microsoft Corporation , the largest company in the Application Software industry , has gained 94 cents during the past month. Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. , another member of the Application Software industry, has gained $3.32 . Deltek, Inc has gained 26 cents .

Source:http://www.learningmarkets.com/News-Feed/2010102657606/getting-ready-for-epicor-softwares-earnings-announcement-epic-msft-sncr-proj.html

Epicor Software Corporation /quotes/comstock/15*!epic/quotes/nls/epic (EPIC 9.89, +0.23, +2.33%) , a leading provider of enterprise business software solutions to the midmarket and Global 1000 companies, today announced the company has been named the leading vendor of Point-of-Sale (POS) software to top specialty soft goods retailers in the new report, A Retailer’s Guide: POS Software for Softgoods Retailers, published by global research and advisory firm IHL Group.

The report evaluated vendors of POS software installed among the top 250 retailers in the specialty soft goods space and ranked the top 10, with Epicor topping the list. Vendor rankings were based on the following criteria: Number of POS licenses, the combined revenue of their customers, and total number of customers in the top 250. When it comes to POS software solutions for soft goods retailers, the report found Epicor has more retail clients, installations, and managed retail revenue than Micros, Oracle, JDA, SAP, or any other POS software provider.

The report features a profile of Epicor, which includes highlights on Epicor Retail solutions, customers and strengths. Commenting on Epicor’s position in the POS soft goods retail space, IHL analyst Jerry Sheldon said, “Epicor continues to enjoy a leadership role in bringing top-tier solutions to the midmarket — a market which has historically been underserved by the largest vendors — and also differentiates its solutions through support for thick or thin client, wired or wireless retail POS deployments, and CRM and Loss Prevention integration. Additionally, Epicor is well served by its strong company reputation for customer service and reliability, SaaS options and close Microsoft partnership.”

The study features an overview of the economic, technology and consumer trends shaping the retail sector as well as key business challenges soft goods retailers seek to offset via the use of POS technology. It also provides insights surrounding the top drivers for POS purchasing decisions, including retailers’ requirements surrounding CRM, multi-channel selling, and PCI-DSS compliance.

“Epicor is proud to have many of the top names in the soft goods retail space on our client list, and to be recognized as the leader in POS in this sector by IHL,” said Randy Tofteland, executive vice president, retail software for Epicor. “As IHL so astutely recognizes in its report — specialty soft goods retailers are extremely vulnerable to shifting trends. We’re committed to providing next generation POS solutions to help them maximize competitive advantage, leverage windows of opportunity and mitigate threats to succeed in today’s challenging retail landscape.”

Today, many of the world’s leading retailers utilize Epicor Retail solutions and services to become more profitable, productive and competitive. Epicor’s solutions work with the .NET Framework to improve business operations and meet the evolving merchandise and service expectations of today’s cross-channel shoppers. Epicor delivers comprehensive retail management solutions to enterprises in all tiers — from regional chains to multichannel global brands. Retail customers include hundreds of marquee names, from Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, and Ann Taylor to Zales and Zumiez. Epicor employs more than 800 employees in retail-focused operations.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/epicorr-named-number-one-point-of-sale-software-vendor-for-specialty-soft-goods-retailers-by-independent-research-firm-2010-10-13?reflink=MW_news_stmp