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Will Paycom Software (PAYC) Pull a Surprise in Q1 Earnings?

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Paycom Software, Inc. (PAYC - Free Report) is set to report first-quarter 2017 results on May 2. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 66.7%. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Factors at Play

Paycom Software reported outstanding fourth-quarter 2016 results. Also, both the top and the bottom line increased on a year-over-year basis.

Revenue growth seems to be steady and was positively impacted by higher recurring revenues and higher traction in cloud-based offerings. Better-than-expected demand for advanced human capital management and payroll software solutions during the reported quarter were the other positives.

We believe that the higher adoption of Paycom Software’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) dashboard application that tracks employee count, employee status and health care plan affordability will act as a tailwind for the company in the long run. Also, Paycom Software might witness long-term growth by successfully cross-selling newer products to the existing client base, which will boost revenues.

Nevertheless, competition from companies like Paylocity Holding Corporation, Intuit Inc. (INTU - Free Report)   and Paychex, Inc. remains a headwind.

Paycom Software, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Paycom Softwarewill beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below.

Zacks ESP: Paycom Software ESP is 0.00% since both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 37 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Paycom Software’ Zacks Rank #2 increases the predictive power of ESP. However, its 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.

We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions.

Other Stocks to Consider

Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.

H&R Block, Inc. (HRB - Free Report) , with an Earnings ESP of +3.44% and a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

General Motors Company (GM - Free Report) , with an Earnings ESP of +0.69% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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