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Zacks.com featured highlights include Brinker International, Deckers Outdoor, Target, Intel and Everest Group

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – December 11, 2023 – Stocks in this week’s article are Brinker International (EAT - Free Report) , Deckers Outdoor (DECK - Free Report) , Target (TGT - Free Report) , Intel (INTC - Free Report) and Everest Group Ltd. (EG - Free Report) .

Play Potential Earnings Beats with 5 Top-Ranked Stocks

It is not surprising that before an earnings season, every investor looks for stocks that can beat market expectations. This is because investors always try to position themselves ahead of time and look to tap stocks that are high-quality in nature.

Why Is a Positive Earnings Surprise So Important?

Historically, stocks of companies with solid quarterly earnings (on a nominal basis) tank if they miss or merely meet market expectations. After all, a 20% earnings rise (though apparently looks good) doesn't tell you if earnings growth has been exhibiting a decelerating trend.

Also, seasonal fluctuations come into play sometimes. If a company's Q1 is seasonally weak and Q4 strong, then it is likely to report a sequential earnings decline. In such cases, growth rates are misleading while judging the true health of a company.

On the other hand, after much brainstorming and analysis of companies' financials and initiatives, Wall Street analysts project earnings of companies. They in fact club their insights and a company's guidance when deriving an earnings estimate.

Thus, outperforming that estimate is almost equivalent to beating the company's own expectation as well as the market perception. And if the margin of earnings surprise is big, it typically drives the stock higher right after the release. Thus, more than anything else, an earnings surprise can push a stock higher.

How to Find Stocks That Can Beat?

Now, finding stocks that have the potential to beat on the bottom line may be investors' dream but not an easy job. One way to do this is to look at the earnings surprise history of the company.

An impressive track in this regard generally acts as a catalyst in sending a stock higher. It indicates the company's ability to surpass estimates. And investors generally believe that the company will apply the same secret sauce to execute yet another earning beat in its next release.

Here are five out of 13 stocks:

Brinker International: The Zacks Rank #1 company owns, operates, develops and franchises various restaurants under Chili's Grill & Bar (Chili's) and Maggiano's Little Italy (Maggiano's) brands. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The average earnings surprise of EAT for the past four quarters is 223.60%.

Deckers Outdoor: Deckers Outdoor is a leading designer, producer and brand manager of innovative, niche footwear and accessories developed for outdoor sports and other lifestyle-related activities. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

The average earnings surprise of DECK for the past four quarters is 26.32%.

Target: The Zacks Rank #2 company has evolved from just being a pure brick-and-mortar retailer to an omnichannel entity.

The average earnings surprise of TGT for the past four quarters is 30.84%.

Intel: The Zacks Rank #1 company, the world's largest semiconductor firm and primary supplier of microprocessors and chipsets, is gradually reducing its dependence on PC-centric business by moving into data-centric businesses — such as AI and autonomous driving.

The average earnings surprise of INTC for the past four quarters is 136.31%.

Everest Group Ltd.: The Zacks Rank #2 company underwrites property and casualty reinsurance for insurance and reinsurance companies in the United States and international markets.

The average earnings surprise of EG for the past four quarters is 24.50%.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

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For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2195227/play-potential-earnings-beat-with-5-top-ranked-stocks

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

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Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

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