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Deere (DE) reported fourth-quarter results today. Even though the well-known maker of agricultural equipment had a tough year, the company's stock currently sits near a 52-week high as the bulls hope the worst is behind it.

On an adjusted basis, Deere posted a profit of 23 cents per share. This number easily beat the analysts, as they believed Q4 was only worth about 3 cents per share, according to our earnings preview.

On Tuesday, November 24, American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) stepped into the earnings spotlight, reporting that third-quarter earnings came in at 28 cents per share. Taking a tax benefit out of the equation, AEO would have earned 21 cents per share, falling a penny shy of the consensus estimate.

Quarterly sales dropped to $749 million from $754 million, with same-store sales falling off 4%. AEO did not provide a fourth-quarter forecast, which it will do when it reports November sales on December 3; this will allow the company to account for the sales from the Thanksgiving weekend.

Luxury retailer Tiffany (TIF) provided some news for a normally slow pre-Thanksgiving trading session, announcing third-quarter earnings for the Street to chew on.

The luxury retailer reported third-quarter earnings of 35 cents per share, matching its results from a year earlier. Earnings from continuing operations came in at 34 cents per share. By either measure, TIF handily topped the consensus estimate for earnings of 24 cents per share.

Here's a stock I've been wrong about. I've been bearish on J. Crew Group (JCG), as this previous article will indicate. But since the latest quarterly results show a vast improvement of the retailer's fundamentals, I guess you could say I was decidedly behind the curve.

According to the earnings release, revenues increased 14% in the third quarter. Same-store sales advanced 8%. Net income more than doubled to 67 cents per diluted share. A lot of this good news was expected, as Trey Thoelcke pointed out in his earnings preview. Still, the bottom line beat the analysts by several pennies. And you've got to love the increase seen in the gross margin.

Warner Music Group (WMG) was out of favor with the market today. At the time of this writing, shares of the company were down over 16% on big volume. Wall Street did not appreciate the fourth-quarter release.

According to TheStreet.com, a loss, on an adjusted basis, of 3 cents per share was recorded. Analysts were hoping for a profit of 5 cents per share. The cited article goes on to report a not-so-comforting outlook for the near future. And in further bad news, TheFlyOnTheWall.com mentions a downgrade on the stock.

Before tomorrow's open, jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. (TIF) will be reporting its third quarter results. Analysts are expecting to see the company show earnings of 23 cents per share.

For the same period last year the company had earnings of 35 cents.

Deere & Co. (DE), maker of the iconic John Deere tractor, is scheduled to discuss its fiscal fourth-quarter 2009 financial results in a conference call Wednesday, November 25, at 10:00 AM ET, hosted by Chief Financial Officer Jim Field. You can catch the live webcast of the call on the company's website.

During the three months that ended in October, Deere planned to invest in Russia, reached a tentative agreement with the UAW and announced some layoffs. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the agricultural equipment maker to report that earnings for that period plunged from $0.81 per share a year ago to $0.03 per share. And revenue for the quarter is expected to be 34.1% lower to $4.4 billion.

Nuance Communications (NUAN - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings last night, posting a fourth-quarter profit of $6.3 million, or 2 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, NUAN earned 32 cents per share on revenue of $275 million, beating analysts' forecasts of 29 cents per share on revenue of $272 million. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on NUAN.

NUAN opened this morning at $14.15. So far today the stock has hit a low of $14.00 and a high of $14.87. As of 11:55, NUAN is trading at $14.75 up 1.00 (7.3%). The chart for NUAN looks bearish.

Preppy fashion retailer J. Crew Group Inc. (JCG), which has been publicly traded since 2006, is scheduled to discuss its third-quarter 2009 results Tuesday in a conference call at 4:30 PM ET. You can catch the live webcast of the call on the company's website.

For the three months that ended in October, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the New York-based company to report that its earnings rose 48.3% from a year ago to 58 cents per share, which is in line with the previously raised guidance. Revenue for the quarter is expected to be 12.4% higher to $407.9 million.

Discount retailer Dollar Tree (DLTR), which sells everything for a dollar or less, reported third-quarter earnings Tuesday morning. The company earned 76 cents per share during the quarter, nearly 62% higher than last year's same-quarter earnings. Sales for the quarter increased by more than 12% to $1.25 billion from $1.11 billion in sales from last year.

Dollar Tree beat the Street's earnings expectation of 66 cents per share by a dime and topped and revenue expectations of $1.24 billion. "I am pleased with our third quarter performance," said CEO Bob Sasser in a statment. "Sales and earnings were above plan." Solid earnings from a company specializing in cheap prices during a recession -- is anyone really surprised?

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), the famous maker of printers and PCs, and a colleague of entities such as Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), and International Business Machines (IBM), issued Q4 results on Monday after the end of the trading day. Revenues didn't impress me, as sales saw a decline of 8%. Net income, however, was better. On an adjusted basis, earnings per share increased 11% to $1.14.

Also doing well was the operating margin. The adjusted metric increased 170 basis points during the quarter. The annual statement of cash flows should look good to any long-term shareholder. Management still had cash left over from operations after share repurchases, dividend obligations, and capital spending.

H.J. Heinz Co. (HNZ), one of the world's largest food companies, is scheduled to discuss its fiscal second-quarter 2010 financial results in a conference call Tuesday, November 24, at 8:30 AM ET, hosted by CEO William R. Johnson. You can see the accompanying slides on the company's website.

During the three months that ended in October, Heinz partnered with the World Food Program and also declared a quarterly dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the Pittsburgh-based company to report that earnings for the period fell 19.5% from a year ago to $0.70 per share. But revenue for the quarter is expected to total $2.6 billion, about the same as last year.

Medtronic Inc. (MDT), a leading maker of implantable biomedical devices, is scheduled to release its fiscal second-quarter financial results Tuesday, November 24, before the market open, and then to discuss those results in a webcast at 8:00 AM ET. You can catch the live webcast at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in October, Medtronic was once again named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, settled a patent lawsuit, and announced management changes. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect this Minneapolis-based company to report that earnings for the period rose 9.5% from a year ago to $0.74 per share. And revenue for the quarter is expected to be 5.0% higher to $3.8 billion.

Declining soup sales couldn't stem the tide of Campbell Soup's (CPB) earnings. The world's largest soup maker saw first-quarter earnings increase 17%, although soup sales dropped 3%.

The sultan of soup reported first-quarter earnings of 87 cents per share, six cents better than the consensus estimate. The strong results were attributed to lower costs and expenses. Unfortunately for Campbell, revenue did not meet expectations, totaling $2.2 billion when the Street expected $2.28 billion.

Talk about stocks that have fallen far and fast. LDK Solar (LDK) was looking to add a bit of momentum with its earnings report, as the stock is battling overhead resistance from its 20-week moving average. This trendline has pushed the stock lower for a majority of 2009 and 2008, during which LDK has dropped from its late-2008 high of $52.40 to its current perch near the $8 level.

The good news is that a news event like an earnings report could lend momentum to any squandering stock, so let's see what LDK reported. The solar panel producer earned 27 cents per share in the third quarter, far worse than last year's same-quarter earnings of 77 cents per share. Quarterly revenue was nearly halved, as LDK brought in $281.9 million compared to $542 million.