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 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.

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 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 ConocoPhillips?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. ConocoPhillips (COP Quick QuoteCOP - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) 23 days from its next quarterly earnings release on November 6, 2025, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.40 a share.

ConocoPhillips' Earnings ESP sits at +0.99%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.40 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.38. COP 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.

COP is just one of a large group of Oils and Energy stocks with a positive ESP figure. Plains All American Pipeline (PAA Quick QuotePAA - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Plains All American Pipeline, which is readying to report earnings on November 5, 2025, sits at a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) right now. Its Most Accurate Estimate is currently $0.45 a share, and PAA is 22 days out from its next earnings report.

For Plains All American Pipeline, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.35 is +30.44%.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, COP and PAA could potentially post earnings beats in their next reports.

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 >>