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Want Better Returns? Don?t Ignore These 2 Transportation Stocks Set to Beat Earnings

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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.

The earnings figure itself is key, of course, but a beat or miss on the bottom line can sometimes be just as, if not more, important. Therefore, investors should consider paying close attention to these earnings surprises, as a big beat can help a stock climb and vice versa.

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 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 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 Union Pacific?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Union Pacific (UNP - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) 29 days from its next quarterly earnings release on July 20, 2023, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $2.83 a share.

UNP has an Earnings ESP figure of +1.8%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $2.83 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.78. Union Pacific 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.

UNP is just one of a large group of Transportation stocks with a positive ESP figure. United Airlines (UAL - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

United Airlines is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on July 19, 2023. UAL's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $4.11 a share 28 days from its next earnings release.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for United Airlines is $3.77, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +9.07%.

UNP and UAL'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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United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) - free report >>

Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) - free report >>

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