This is shaping up to be a scary earnings season.

Fueled by expectations that this will be the first time in nearly three years that companies in the S&P 500 will post an overall decline in profitability, I singled out many of the targeted offenders last week.

Thankfully, there are still plenty of companies doing the right thing on the bottom line.

Despite the economic challenges abroad and the likelihood that many companies have run out of fat to cut in order to beef up their margins during this period of slow growth, there are still more than a few companies that the pros expect to post year-over-year improvement.

Let's check out some of the potential winners.

"MannKind has had its setbacks in trying to get its inhalable insulin on the market. Afrezza could be a blockbuster if it ever clears regulatory hurdles. After all, who would prefer pin pricks over an inhalant? For now, the fledgling biotech is expected to post a smaller deficit on a per-share basis, though that may not amount to much of a victory, as the number of shares outstanding has risen substantially over the past year."

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/10/17/8-reasons-to-love-earnings-season.aspx