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Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Computer and Technology Stocks Now

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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.

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, or Expected Surprise Prediction, aims to find earnings surprises by focusing on the most recent analyst revisions. The basic premise is that if an analyst reevaluates their earnings estimate ahead of an earnings release, it means they likely have new information that could possibly be more accurate.

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.

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 #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 Alphabet?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) six days from its next quarterly earnings release on October 24, 2023, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.59 a share.

By taking the percentage difference between the $1.59 Most Accurate Estimate and the $1.47 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Alphabet has an Earnings ESP of +8.04%. Investors should also know that GOOGL 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.

GOOGL is part of a big group of Computer and Technology stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Wesco International (WCC - Free Report) as well.

Wesco International, which is readying to report earnings on November 2, 2023, sits at a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $3.86 a share, and WCC is 15 days out from its next earnings report.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Wesco International is $3.85, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +0.17%.

GOOGL and WCC's positive ESP metrics may signal that a positive earnings surprise for both stocks is on the horizon.

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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WESCO International, Inc. (WCC) - free report >>

Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) - free report >>

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