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How to Boost Your Portfolio with Top Industrial Products 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.

The earnings figure itself is key, of course, but a beat or miss on the bottom line can sometimes be just as, if not more, important. Therefore, investors should consider paying close attention to these earnings surprises, as a big beat can help a stock climb and vice versa.

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, 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.

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.

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 Graphic Packaging?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Graphic Packaging (GPK - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) one day from its next quarterly earnings release on February 20, 2024, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.70 a share.

By taking the percentage difference between the $0.70 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0.69 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Graphic Packaging has an Earnings ESP of +2.04%. Investors should also know that GPK 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.

GPK is just one of a large group of Industrial Products stocks with a positive ESP figure. Emerson Electric (EMR - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Emerson Electric, which is readying to report earnings on May 1, 2024, sits at a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $1.25 a share, and EMR is 72 days out from its next earnings report.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Emerson Electric is $1.24, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +0.58%.

GPK and EMR'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


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Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) - free report >>

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPK) - free report >>

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