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Want Better Returns? Don?t Ignore These 2 Retail and Wholesale Stocks Set to Beat Earnings

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Two factors often determine stock prices in the long run: earnings and interest rates. Investors can't control the latter, but they can focus on a company's earnings results every quarter.

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.

Now that we know how important earnings and earnings surprises are, it's time to show investors how to take advantage of these events to boost their returns by utilizing the Zacks Earnings ESP filter.

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.

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.

When we join a positive earnings ESP with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or stronger, stocks posted a positive bottom-line surprise 70% of the time. Plus, this system saw investors produce roughly 28% 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 Darden Restaurants?

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. Darden Restaurants (DRI - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.80 a share three days away from its upcoming earnings release on December 15, 2023.

DRI has an Earnings ESP figure of +5.58%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.80 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.70. Darden Restaurants 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.

DRI is part of a big group of Retail and Wholesale stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Levi Strauss (LEVI - Free Report) as well.

Levi Strauss is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on January 24, 2024. LEVI's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.43 a share 43 days from its next earnings release.

Levi Strauss' Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +0.78% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.43.

DRI and LEVI'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


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) - free report >>

Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI) - free report >>

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