Analysts were expecting First Marblehead Corp. (FMD) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $-0.05 for last quarter, but FMD missed expectations with actual earnings of $-0.95---90 cents below the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $-0.94 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that FMD’s earnings are down this year.

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Also, if you compare FMD's 0.00% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 11.66% for the Credit Services industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect FMD to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Credit Services industry, you can see how analysts believe FMD will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like Discover Financial Services (DFS) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe DFS's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.67% while COF's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 10.25%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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