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These 2 Oils and Energy 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.

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.

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.

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 Valero Energy?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Valero Energy (VLO - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) 28 days from its next quarterly earnings release on April 25, 2024, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $4.53 a share.

VLO has an Earnings ESP figure of +18.21%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $4.53 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.83. Valero Energy 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.

VLO is part of a big group of Oils and Energy stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Occidental Petroleum (OXY - Free Report) as well.

Slated to report earnings on May 14, 2024, Occidental Petroleum holds a #3 (Hold) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $0.71 a share 47 days from its next quarterly update.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Occidental Petroleum is $0.63, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +12.39%.

VLO and OXY'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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Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) - free report >>

Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) - free report >>

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