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.

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 Earnings ESP is more formally known as the Expected Surprise Prediction, and it aims to grab the inside track on the latest analyst estimate revisions ahead of a company's report. The idea is relatively intuitive as a newer projection might be based on more complete 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.

Stocks with a ranking of #3 (Hold), or 60% of all stocks covered by the Zacks Rank, are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with rankings of #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy), 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 Burlington Stores?

Now that we understand what the ESP is and how beneficial it can be, let's dive into a stock that currently fits the bill. Burlington Stores (BURL Quick QuoteBURL - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $1.35 a share, just seven days from its upcoming earnings release on August 28, 2025.

BURL has an Earnings ESP figure of +6.06%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.35 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.27. Burlington Stores 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.

BURL is one of just a large database of Retail and Wholesale stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is Macy's (M Quick QuoteM - Free Report) .

Macy's is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on September 3, 2025. M's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.20 a share 13 days from its next earnings release.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Macy's is $0.19, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +7.53%.

BURL and M'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 >>