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These 2 Basic Materials Stocks Could Beat Earnings: Why They Should Be on Your Radar

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Earnings are arguably the most important single number on a company's quarterly financial report. Wall Street clearly dives into all of the other metrics and management's input, but the EPS figure helps cut through all the noise.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 Agnico Eagle Mines?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) 29 days from its next quarterly earnings release on April 25, 2024, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.53 a share.

By taking the percentage difference between the $0.53 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0.52 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Agnico Eagle Mines has an Earnings ESP of +2.42%. Investors should also know that AEM 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.

AEM is part of a big group of Basic Materials stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at United States Steel (X - Free Report) as well.

United States Steel is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on April 25, 2024. X's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.89 a share 29 days from its next earnings release.

For United States Steel, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.81 is +10.05%.

AEM and X'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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United States Steel Corporation (X) - free report >>

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM) - free report >>

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