Wall Street watches a company's quarterly report closely to understand as much as possible about its recent performance and what to expect going forward. Of course, one figure often stands out among the rest: earnings.

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.

With this in mind, the Expected Surprise Prediction compares the Most Accurate Estimate (being the most recent) against the overall Zacks Consensus Estimate. The percentage difference provides the ESP figure. The system also utilizes our core Zacks Rank to provide a stronger system for identifying stocks that might beat their next quarterly earnings estimate and possibly see the stock price climb.

When we join a positive earnings ESP with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or stronger, stocks posted a positive bottom-line surprise 70% of the time. Plus, this system saw investors produce roughly 28% 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 Kinross Gold?

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. Kinross Gold (KGC Quick QuoteKGC - Free Report) holds a #1 (Strong Buy) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.31 a share 12 days away from its upcoming earnings release on July 30, 2025.

Kinross Gold's Earnings ESP sits at +15.34%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0.31 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.27. KGC is also part of a large group of stocks that boast a positive ESP. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

KGC is one of just a large database of Basic Materials stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is Pan American Silver (PAAS Quick QuotePAAS - Free Report) .

Pan American Silver, which is readying to report earnings on August 6, 2025, sits at a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) right now. Its Most Accurate Estimate is currently $0.42 a share, and PAAS is 19 days out from its next earnings report.

Pan American Silver's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +21.30% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.35.

KGC and PAAS' 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 >>