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How to Find Strong Business Services Stocks Slated for Positive Earnings Surprises

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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.

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.

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.

Most stocks, about 60%, fall into the #3 (Hold) category, and they are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with a #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy) rating, or the top 15% and top 5% of stocks, respectively, should outperform the market, with Strong Buy stocks outperforming more than any other rank.

Should You Consider Accenture?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Accenture (ACN - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) 16 days from its next quarterly earnings release on June 22, 2023, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $3 a share.

By taking the percentage difference between the $3 Most Accurate Estimate and the $2.94 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Accenture has an Earnings ESP of +1.93%. Investors should also know that ACN is one of a large group 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.

ACN is one of just a large database of Business Services stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is Global Payments (GPN - Free Report) .

Global Payments is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on August 7, 2023. GPN's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $2.61 a share 62 days from its next earnings release.

For Global Payments, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.58 is +1.04%.

ACN and GPN'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


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Accenture PLC (ACN) - free report >>

Global Payments Inc. (GPN) - free report >>

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