Analyst Watching Yahoo Results for Alibaba News, Revenue Growth

The most important thing to watch for in Yahoo's (YHOO) earnings report is what the company says about the pending spin-off of its Alibaba (BABA) stake, according to one analyst. Scott Kessler, Equity Analyst at S&P Capital IQ, said investors want more details about the timing of the spin-off and what it means for Yahoo's balance sheet. Another key issue will be Yahoo's revenue growth. 'We haven't seen that for a number of years at Yahoo and it's something that people are growing more and more worried about, to be honest,' said Kessler. S&P Capital IQ downgraded shares of Yahoo to BUY from STRONG BUY on Monday, due in part to recent executive departures at Yahoo, which Kessler believes may contribute to execution issues at the company and may hold back the stock.