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How to Find Strong Retail and Wholesale Stocks Slated for Positive Earnings Surprises

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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 #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 Booking Holdings?

The last thing we will do today, now that we have a grasp on the ESP and how powerful of a tool it can be, is to quickly look at a qualifying stock. Booking Holdings (BKNG - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $15.46 a share 30 days away from its upcoming earnings release on May 2, 2024.

BKNG has an Earnings ESP figure of +10.46%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $15.46 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14. Booking Holdings 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.

BKNG is just one of a large group of Retail and Wholesale stocks with a positive ESP figure. Advance Auto Parts (AAP - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Advance Auto Parts, which is readying to report earnings on May 29, 2024, sits at a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $0.92 a share, and AAP is 57 days out from its next earnings report.

For Advance Auto Parts, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.82 is +11.25%.

BKNG and AAP'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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Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP) - free report >>

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

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