Q3 Earnings Update: S&P 500 Hit Hard By Energy

As third quarter earnings release period comes to an end, 84% of the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) have reported earnings and we can certainly draw some positives and negatives.  On one hand, S&P 500, overall, saw earnings per share rise 2% higher than estimates, but sales contracted 0.5%.  However, on a year over year basis, S&P 500 earnings per share grew 10% and sales rose 4%.  Margin levels continue to hover around 9.3%, but analyst estimates imply further gains, up to 9.9% in 2015 as estimated by Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS). S&P 500: Energy sector’s EPS to grow, sales to fall…