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

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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.

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.

Hunting for 'earnings whispers' or companies poised to beat their quarterly earnings estimates is a somewhat common practice. But that doesn't make it easy. One way that has been proven to work is by using the Zacks Earnings ESP tool.

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.

With this in mind, the Expected Surprise Prediction compares the Most Accurate Estimate (being the most recent) against the overall Zacks Consensus Estimate. The percentage difference provides the ESP figure. The system also utilizes our core Zacks Rank to provide a stronger system for identifying stocks that might beat their next quarterly earnings estimate and possibly see the stock price climb.

In fact, when we combined a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better and a positive Earnings ESP, stocks produced a positive surprise 70% of the time. Perhaps most importantly, using these parameters has helped produce 28.3% 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 Citizens Financial Group?

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. Citizens Financial Group (CFG - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.31 a share eight days away from its upcoming earnings release on January 17, 2023.

Citizens Financial Group's Earnings ESP sits at +0.37%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.31 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.30. CFG 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.

CFG is part of a big group of Finance stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at New York Community Bancorp (NYCB - Free Report) as well.

Slated to report earnings on January 31, 2023, New York Community Bancorp holds a #3 (Hold) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $0.28 a share 22 days from its next quarterly update.

For New York Community Bancorp, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.27 is +3.43%.

CFG and NYCB'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:


New York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYCB) - free report >>

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG) - free report >>

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