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Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Medical 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.

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 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.

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 GSK?

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. GSK (GSK - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.14 a share six days away from its upcoming earnings release on November 1, 2023.

By taking the percentage difference between the $1.14 Most Accurate Estimate and the $1.09 Zacks Consensus Estimate, GSK has an Earnings ESP of +5.07%. Investors should also know that GSK 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.

GSK is just one of a large group of Medical stocks with a positive ESP figure. Tenet Healthcare (THC - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Slated to report earnings on October 30, 2023, Tenet Healthcare holds a #3 (Hold) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $1.24 a share four days from its next quarterly update.

For Tenet Healthcare, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.20 is +3.25%.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, GSK and THC 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:


GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (GSK) - free report >>

Tenet Healthcare Corporation (THC) - free report >>

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