Predictions for the current quarter, ending in November, will also be closely watched, as the company is expected to announce new devices for the later part of the year.

"Our checks indicate that smart-phone momentum continues and is even accelerating as consumers increasingly view smart phones as 'must-haves,'" wrote Jim Suva of Citigroup in a note to clients on Wednesday.

Analysts, on average, currently expect RIM to report earnings of $1 per share on revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter ended Aug. 31, according to consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters. For the same period last year, the company earned 86 cents on revenue of $2.58 billion.

The company is expected to add 4 million subscribers, on average. Most analysts expected smart-phone shipments to come in between 8.5 million-8.6 million.

"We remain positive into RIM's August report as competitive concerns seem overdone, consensus estimates are likely to rise, and valuation...is attractive," wrote Mark McKechnie of Broadpoint AmTech in a report. "We believe RIM has ample runway through geographic expansion and see upside on an enterprise recovery, better margins, or an inventory restock."

RIM is expected to have benefitted during the recent quarter from heavy promotions at Verizon during the period.

The company's stock has been on a sharp run of late -- more than doubling since the first of the year -- as investors have pushed up hopes for a strong performance.

The stock, however, remains well below its $100-plus range it was trading at last September, before a warning by the company regarding future earnings pushed the shares into a tailspin. RIM was spending heavily to launch and promote a new line of smart phones, and warned investors that the increased spending would crimp profit margins. See full story.

Source: MarketWatch