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Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Medical Stocks Now

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Two factors often determine stock prices in the long run: earnings and interest rates. Investors can't control the latter, but they can focus on a company's earnings results every quarter.

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.

Now that we know how important earnings and earnings surprises are, it's time to show investors how to take advantage of these events to boost their returns by utilizing the Zacks Earnings ESP filter.

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.

Bringing together a positive earnings ESP alongside a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better has helped stocks report a positive earnings surprise 70% of the time. Furthermore, by using these parameters, investors have seen 28.3% annual returns on average, according to our 10 year backtest.

Stocks with a #3 (Hold) ranking, which is most stocks covered at 60%, are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. But stocks that fall into the #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy) ranking, 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 Medtronic?

Now that we understand what the ESP is and how beneficial it can be, let's dive into a stock that currently fits the bill. Medtronic (MDT - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $1.20 a share, just four days from its upcoming earnings release on November 21, 2023.

Medtronic's Earnings ESP sits at +1.39%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.20 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.18. MDT is also part of a large group of stocks that boast a positive ESP. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

MDT is just one of a large group of Medical stocks with a positive ESP figure. Novo Nordisk (NVO - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Novo Nordisk is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on February 7, 2024. NVO's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.68 a share 82 days from its next earnings release.

For Novo Nordisk, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.66 is +2.79%.

MDT and NVO'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


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) - free report >>

Medtronic PLC (MDT) - free report >>

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