Analysts were expecting Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. (BNI) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $1.28 for last quarter, but BNI beat expectations with actual earnings of $1.42---14 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $1.92 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that BNI’s earnings are down this year.

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Also, if you compare BNI's 9.58% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 11.01% for the Railroads industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect BNI to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Railroads industry, you can see how analysts believe BNI will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like CSX Corp. (CSX) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe CSX's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 12.92% while CP's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 8.00%.

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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