Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Retail and Wholesale Stocks Now

Read MoreHide Full Article

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 is more formally known as the Expected Surprise Prediction, and it aims to grab the inside track on the latest analyst estimate revisions ahead of a company's report. The idea is relatively intuitive as a newer projection might be based on more complete 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.

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.

Most stocks, about 60%, fall into the #3 (Hold) category, and they are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with a #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy) rating, or the top 15% and top 5% of stocks, respectively, should outperform the market, with Strong Buy stocks outperforming more than any other rank.

Should You Consider Cava Group?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Cava Group (CAVA - Free Report) earns a #2 (Buy) 12 days from its next quarterly earnings release on February 6, 2024, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.02 a share.

CAVA has an Earnings ESP figure of +50%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0.02 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.01. Cava Group 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.

CAVA 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 Booking Holdings (BKNG - Free Report) as well.

Booking Holdings is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on February 22, 2024. BKNG's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $31.45 a share 28 days from its next earnings release.

For Booking Holdings, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $29.62 is +6.16%.

CAVA and BKNG'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:


Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) - free report >>

CAVA Group, Inc. (CAVA) - free report >>

Published in