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This 1 Finance Stock Could Beat Earnings: Why It Should Be on Your Radar

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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.

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 Earnings ESP is more formally known as the Expected Surprise Prediction, and it aims to grab the inside track on the latest analyst estimate revisions ahead of a company's report. The idea is relatively intuitive as a newer projection might be based on more complete information.

Now that we understand the basic idea, let's look at how the Expected Surprise Prediction works. The ESP is calculated by comparing the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, with the percentage difference between the two giving us the Zacks ESP figure.

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 Crown Castle?

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. Crown Castle (CCI - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.84 a share 27 days away from its upcoming earnings release on October 19, 2022.

CCI has an Earnings ESP figure of +0.64%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.84 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.83. Crown Castle is one of a large database 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.

CCI is one of just a large database of Finance stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is SL Green (SLG - Free Report) .

Slated to report earnings on October 19, 2022, SL Green holds a #3 (Hold) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $1.66 a share 27 days from its next quarterly update.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SL Green is $1.65, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +0.57%.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, CCI and SLG could potentially post earnings beats in their next reports.

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:


Crown Castle Inc. (CCI) - free report >>

SL Green Realty Corporation (SLG) - free report >>

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