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These 2 Computer and Technology Stocks Could Beat Earnings: Why They Should Be on Your Radar

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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.

Hunting for 'earnings whispers' or companies poised to beat their quarterly earnings estimates is a somewhat common practice. But that doesn't make it easy. One way that has been proven to work is by using the Zacks Earnings ESP tool.

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 ranking of #3 (Hold), or 60% of all stocks covered by the Zacks Rank, are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with rankings of #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy), 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 Nvidia?

Now that we understand what the ESP is and how beneficial it can be, let's dive into a stock that currently fits the bill. Nvidia (NVDA - Free Report) earns a #2 (Buy) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $4.75 a share, just six days from its upcoming earnings release on February 21, 2024.

NVDA has an Earnings ESP figure of +5.26%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $4.75 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.51. Nvidia 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.

NVDA is one of just a large database of Computer and Technology stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is nVent Electric (NVT - Free Report) .

nVent Electric, which is readying to report earnings on April 26, 2024, sits at a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $0.73 a share, and NVT is 71 days out from its next earnings report.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for nVent Electric is $0.73, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +0.46%.

NVDA and NVT's positive ESP figures tell us that both stocks have a good chance at beating analyst expectations in their next earnings report.

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 >>


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NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) - free report >>

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