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Want Better Returns? Don?t Ignore These 2 Consumer Discretionary Stocks Set to Beat Earnings

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Quarterly financial reports play a vital role on Wall Street, as they help investors see how a company has performed and what might be coming down the road in the near-term. And out of all of the metrics and results to consider, earnings is one of the most important.

We know earnings results are vital, but how a company performs compared to bottom line expectations can be even more important when it comes to stock prices, especially in the near-term. This means that investors might want to take advantage of these earnings surprises.

The ability to identify stocks that are likely to top quarterly earnings expectations can be profitable, but it's no simple task. Here at Zacks, our Earnings ESP filter helps make things easier.

The Zacks Earnings ESP, Explained

The Zacks Earnings ESP, or Expected Surprise Prediction, aims to find earnings surprises by focusing on the most recent analyst revisions. The basic premise is that if an analyst reevaluates their earnings estimate ahead of an earnings release, it means they likely have new information that could possibly be more accurate.

The core of the ESP model is comparing the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, where the resulting percentage difference between the two equals the Expected Surprise Prediction. The Zacks Rank is also factored into the ESP metric to better help find companies that appear poised to top their next bottom-line consensus estimate, which will hopefully help lift the stock price.

When we join a positive earnings ESP with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or stronger, stocks posted a positive bottom-line surprise 70% of the time. Plus, this system saw investors produce roughly 28% annual returns on average, according to our 10 year backtest.

Stocks with a ranking of #3 (Hold), or 60% of all stocks covered by the Zacks Rank, are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with rankings of #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy), or the top 15% and top 5% of stocks, respectively, should outperform the market; Strong Buy stocks should outperform more than any other rank.

Should You Consider MGM Resorts?

The last thing we will do today, now that we have a grasp on the ESP and how powerful of a tool it can be, is to quickly look at a qualifying stock. MGM Resorts (MGM - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.06 a share 20 days away from its upcoming earnings release on May 1, 2023.

By taking the percentage difference between the $0.06 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0 Zacks Consensus Estimate, MGM Resorts has an Earnings ESP of +4300%. Investors should also know that MGM is one of a large group of stocks with positive ESPs. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

MGM is just one of a large group of Consumer Discretionary stocks with a positive ESP figure. Wynn Resorts (WYNN - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Wynn Resorts, which is readying to report earnings on May 9, 2023, sits at a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $0.12 a share, and WYNN is 28 days out from its next earnings report.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Wynn Resorts is -$0.27, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +145.2%.

MGM and WYNN's positive ESP figures tell us that both stocks have a good chance at beating analyst expectations in their next earnings report.

Find Stocks to Buy or Sell Before They're Reported

Use the Zacks Earnings ESP Filter to turn up stocks with the highest probability of positively, or negatively, surprising to buy or sell before they're reported for profitable earnings season trading. Check it out here >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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Wynn Resorts, Limited (WYNN) - free report >>

MGM Resorts International (MGM) - free report >>

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