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These 2 Retail and Wholesale Stocks Could Beat Earnings: Why They Should Be on Your Radar

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Wall Street watches a company's quarterly report closely to understand as much as possible about its recent performance and what to expect going forward. Of course, one figure often stands out among the rest: earnings.

Life and the stock market are both about expectations, and rising above what is expected is often rewarded, while falling short can come with negative consequences. Investors might want to try to capture stronger returns by finding positive 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 Expected Surprise Prediction, or ESP, works by locking in on the most up-to-date analyst earnings revisions because they can be more accurate than estimates from weeks or even months before the actual release date. The thinking is pretty straightforward: analysts who provide earnings estimates closer to the report are likely to have more information.

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 TJX?

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. TJX (TJX - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $1.14 a share, just two days from its upcoming earnings release on February 28, 2024.

TJX's Earnings ESP sits at +1.52%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.14 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.12. TJX 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.

TJX is one of just a large database of Retail and Wholesale stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is Wingstop (WING - Free Report) .

Slated to report earnings on May 1, 2024, Wingstop holds a #2 (Buy) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $0.72 a share 65 days from its next quarterly update.

For Wingstop, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.71 is +1.28%.

TJX and WING'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:


The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) - free report >>

Wingstop Inc. (WING) - free report >>

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