CNN Business Stock Earnings Per Share Actor

Overview

The CNN Business Stock Earnings Per Share Actor is an Apify actor that retrieves comprehensive earnings per share (EPS) data for US stock tickers from CNN Business. This actor provides both current and historical EPS data, including quarterly and annual comparisons, along with detailed explanations and market insights.

Features

• Fetch real-time earnings per share data for any US stock ticker
• Compare current quarter vs. previous quarter performance
• Compare current annual vs. previous annual performance
• Get percentage changes and trend analysis
• Receive detailed explanations of what EPS means and why it's important
• Get formatted summaries suitable for financial reports or dashboards
• Automatic data validation and error handling

Input Schema

The actor accepts the following input parameters:

Required Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
ticker	string	US stock ticker symbol (1-5 characters)	"AAPL", "GOOGL", "TSLA"

Input Validation

• Format: Must be 1-5 alphabetic characters
• Case: Automatically converted to uppercase
• Pattern: Matches ^[A-Za-z]{1,5}$
• Default: "AAPL" (if not specified)

Example Input

{
  "ticker": "KO"
}

Output Schema

The actor returns a structured JSON object containing comprehensive EPS data:

Main Output Structure

{
  "ticker": "string",
  "results": {
    // EPS Values
    "current_quarter_value": "number",
    "prev_quarter_value": "number", 
    "current_annual_value": "number",
    "prev_annual_value": "number",
    
    // Metadata
    "quarter_index": "string",
    "company_name": "string",
    "event_date": "string",
    "last_updated": "string",
    
    // Performance Metrics
    "annual_percentage_change": "string",
    "quarter_percentage_change": "string",
    "sufficient_data_to_create_template": "boolean",
    
    // Summaries and Insights
    "list_summary": { /* Summary object */ },
    "summary": { /* Detailed summary object */ },
    "what_it_means": { /* Market analysis object */ },
    "define": { /* EPS definition object */ },
    "usage": { /* EPS importance explanation object */ }
  },
  "timestamp": "string"
}

Detailed Field Descriptions

EPS Values

• current_quarter_value: Latest quarter's EPS value
• prev_quarter_value: Previous quarter's EPS value
• current_annual_value: Current annual EPS (trailing 12 months)
• prev_annual_value: Previous annual EPS

Metadata

• quarter_index: Current quarter number ("1", "2", "3", or "4")
• company_name: Full company name
• event_date: Date of the earnings report (YYYY-MM-DD)
• last_updated: ISO timestamp of data last update

Performance Metrics

• annual_percentage_change: Year-over-year percentage change
• quarter_percentage_change: Quarter-over-quarter percentage change
• sufficient_data_to_create_template: Boolean indicating data completeness

Summary Objects

Each summary object contains:

• title: Summary headline
• plain_text: Unformatted text description
• formatted_text: HTML-formatted text with styling classes

Example Output

{
  "ticker": "KO",
  "results": {
    "current_quarter_value": 0.883,
    "prev_quarter_value": 0.7721,
    "quarter_index": "2",
    "current_annual_value": 2.4609,
    "prev_annual_value": 2.4692,
    "company_name": "Coca-Cola Company",
    "event_date": "2025-06-30",
    "last_updated": "2025-08-12T08:09:11.472000+00:00",
    "annual_percentage_change": "-0.34",
    "quarter_percentage_change": "14.36",
    "sufficient_data_to_create_template": true,
    "list_summary": {
      "title": "Earnings per share: $2.46 (1Y), $0.88 (Q2)",
      "plain_text": "EPS held flat since last year and increased 14.36% since last quarter.",
      "formatted_text": "EPS <span class=neutral>held flat</span> since last year and <span class=inc>increased 14.36% </span> since last quarter."
    },
    "summary": {
      "title": "KO EPS: $2.46 annual, $0.88 (Q2)",
      "plain_text": "EPS held flat since last year and increased 14.36% since last quarter.",
      "formatted_text": "EPS <span class=neutral>held flat</span> since last year and <span class=inc>increased 14.36% </span> since last quarter.",
      "a": "remained at",
      "b": "increased"
    },
    "what_it_means": {
      "title": "What does this mean?",
      "plain_text": "Flat EPS year-over-year, combined with increasing EPS quarter-over-quarter is an indication the company has taken a hit to its long-term profitability but has started to turn things around. This is an encouraging sign and could positively impact the stock's value.",
      "formatted_text": "<span class=neutral>Flat</span> EPS year-over-year, combined with <span class=inc>increased</span> EPS quarter-over-quarter is an indication the company has taken a hit to its long-term profitability but has started to turn things around. This is an encouraging sign and could <span class=inc>positively</span> impact the stock's value.",
      "a": "Flat",
      "b": "flat", 
      "c": "has taken a hit to its long-term profitability but has started to turn things around. This is an encouraging sign and could positively impact the stock's value."
    },
    "define": {
      "title": "What is earnings per share?",
      "formatted_text": "Earnings Per Share (EPS) divides the most recent 12 months of earnings or profits by the total number of common shares outstanding. <br><br> Annual Earnings / Number of Shares Outstanding = Earnings Per Share (EPS)",
      "plain_text": "Earnings Per Share (EPS) divides the most recent 12 months of earnings or profits by the total number of common shares outstanding. Annual Earnings / Number of Shares Outstanding = Earnings Per Share (EPS)"
    },
    "usage": {
      "title": "Why is earnings per share important?",
      "formatted_text": "Investors focus on Earnings Per Share (EPS) because it gives them a sense of how profits are trending. <br><br> Companies report EPS four times per year. Before each quarterly report, investment analysts publish estimates of what they expect those earnings to be. <br><br> If a company reports earnings much lower than the average analyst estimate, the stock price may drop. Similarly, if a company reports EPS much higher than expected, the stock price may increase. <br><br> Investors typically look for stocks where EPS is consistently increasing compared to previous quarters and years.",
      "plain_text": "Investors focus on Earnings Per Share (EPS) because it gives them a sense of how profits are trending. Companies report EPS four times per year. Before each quarterly report, investment analysts publish estimates of what they expect those earnings to be. If a company reports earnings much lower than the average analyst estimate, the stock price may drop. Similarly, if a company reports EPS much higher than expected, the stock price may increase. Investors typically look for stocks where EPS is consistently increasing compared to previous quarters and years."
    }
  },
  "timestamp": "2025-08-12T08:33:39.423Z"
}

Usage Examples

Basic Usage

const input = {
  "ticker": "AAPL"
};

// Run the actor
const run = await Actor.call('your-actor-name', input);

// Access the results
const data = run.dataset.items[0];
console.log(`${data.results.company_name} EPS: $${data.results.current_annual_value}`);

Multiple Stock Analysis

const tickers = ['AAPL', 'GOOGL', 'MSFT', 'TSLA'];

for (const ticker of tickers) {
  const run = await Actor.call('the-actor-name', { ticker });
  const data = run.dataset.items[0];
  
  console.log(`${ticker}: Annual EPS $${data.results.current_annual_value}, Change: ${data.results.annual_percentage_change}%`);
}

Error Handling

The actor includes comprehensive error handling:

Input Validation Errors

• Missing ticker: Returns error if no ticker provided
• Invalid format: Warns about non-standard ticker formats
• Case normalization: Automatically converts to uppercase

Runtime Errors

• Data not found: Returns structured error response
• Network issues: Logs error and returns error response
• Parsing failures: Captures and reports parsing errors

Error Response Format

{
  "ticker": "INVALID",
  "timestamp": "2025-08-12T08:33:39.423Z",
  "error": "No total earnings per share data available",
  "revenueData": null
}

Data Storage

The actor stores data in multiple formats:

Dataset Storage

All results are automatically pushed to the actor's dataset, making them accessible via:

• Apify Console
• API endpoints
• Download formats (JSON, CSV, Excel)

Key-Value Store

Summary data is stored in the key-value store under NET_INCOME_SUMMARY for quick access:

{
  "ticker": "KO",
  "results": { /* Full results object */ },
  "completedAt": "2025-08-12T08:33:39.423Z"
}

Rate Limits and Considerations

• Source: Data is fetched from CNN Business
• Frequency: Real-time data with timestamps
• Limits: Respect CNN's terms of service
• Caching: Consider implementing caching for frequently requested tickers

Use Cases

Financial Analysis

• Portfolio performance tracking
• Earnings trend analysis
• Investment research
• Comparative stock analysis

Business Intelligence

• Competitor analysis
• Market research
• Financial reporting
• Dashboard creation

Educational Purposes

• Learning about EPS metrics
• Understanding financial ratios
• Stock market education
• Investment learning

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Stock ticker is required" error

   • Ensure the ticker parameter is provided in the input

2. "No total earnings per share data available"

   • Verify the ticker symbol is correct and actively traded
   • Check if the company reports to US exchanges

3. Invalid ticker format warning

   • Use standard US stock ticker symbols (1-5 characters)
   • Avoid special characters or numbers

Debug Tips

• Check actor logs for detailed error messages
• Verify input format matches the schema
• Ensure ticker symbols are valid US stocks

API Integration

REST API Example

curl -X POST \
  https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/the-actor-id/runs \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"ticker": "AAPL"}'

JavaScript SDK Example

import { ApifyApi } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyApi({
  token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN',
});

const input = { ticker: 'GOOGL' };
const run = await client.actor('the-actor-id').call(input);

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items[0]);

Important

For issues, questions, or feature requests:

• Check the actor logs for error details
• Verify input parameters match the schema
• Ensure ticker symbols are valid US stocks
• Contact support with specific error messages and input data

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Support

If you have any questions or encounter any issues, please consult the Apify documentation or reach out to us through one of the following channels:

• Telegram: @pintoflow
• Email: pintoflowpt@gmail.com
• Apify Platform: You can also contact us directly through this platform.

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