Analysts were expecting Maxygen, Inc. (MAXY) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $-0.07 for last quarter, but MAXY missed expectations with actual earnings of $-0.57---50 cents below the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $2.14 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that MAXY’s earnings are down this year.

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Also, if you compare MAXY's 0.00% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 13.57% for the Research Services industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect MAXY to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Research Services industry, you can see how analysts believe MAXY will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like Arbitron Inc. (ARB) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Gen-Probe Inc. (GPRO) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe ARB's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 20.30% while GPRO's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 14.10%.

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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