We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Looking for Earnings Beats? Buy These 5 Top-Ranked Stocks
It is not surprising that before an earnings season, every investor looks for stocks that can beat market expectations. This is because investors always try to position themselves ahead of time and look to tap stocks that are high-quality in nature.
In this regard, we ran a screener that yielded stocks PENN Entertainment Inc., Boise Cascade, Dycom Industries, Silicon Motion Technology and Unity Software as the likely winners on the earnings beat potential.
Why Is a Positive Earnings Surprise So Important?
Historically, stocks of companies with solid quarterly earnings (on a nominal basis) tank if they miss or merely meet market expectations. After all, a 20% earnings rise (though apparently looks good) doesn't tell you if earnings growth has been exhibiting a decelerating trend.
Also, seasonal fluctuations come into play sometimes. If a company's Q1 is seasonally weak and Q4 strong, then it is likely to report a sequential earnings decline. In such cases, growth rates are misleading when judging the true health of a company.
On the other hand, after much brainstorming and analysis of companies' financials and initiatives, Wall Street analysts project the earnings of companies. They, in fact, club their insights and a company's guidance when deriving an earnings estimate.
Thus, outperforming that estimate is almost equivalent to beating the company's own expectation as well as the market perception. And if the margin of earnings surprise is big, it typically drives the stock higher right after the release. Thus, more than anything else, an earnings surprise can push a stock higher.
How to Find Stocks That Can Beat?
Now, finding stocks that have the potential to beat on the bottom line may be investors' dream, but not an easy job. One way to do this is to look at the earnings surprise history of the company.
An impressive track in this regard generally acts as a catalyst in sending a stock higher. It indicates the company's ability to surpass estimates. And investors generally believe that the company will apply the same secret to execute yet another earnings beat in its next release.
Here are five out of 13 stocks:
PENN Entertainment: The Zacks Rank #1 company adopted its current name in 1994 when it became publicly traded. PENN Entertainment is a multi-jurisdictional owner and operator of gaming and racing facilities with video gaming terminal operations and a focus on slot machine entertainment. The company's portfolio is geographically diverse and includes a broad set of regional properties. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The average earnings surprise of PENN for the past four quarters is 120.11%.
Boise Cascade:The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is one of the largest wood products manufacturers and a leading U.S. wholesale distributor of building products, headquartered in Boise, ID.
The average earnings surprise of BCC for the past four quarters is 40.83%.
Dycom Industries: The Zacks Rank #1 company is a specialty contracting firm operating in the telecom industry.
The average earnings surprise of DY for the past four quarters is 24.96%.
Silicon Motion Technology: Silicon Motion Technology Corporation is a leading developer of microcontroller ICs for NAND flash storage devices. The stock has a Zacks Rank #1.
The average earnings surprise of SIMO for the past four quarters is 18.61%.
Unity Software: The company provides a platform to develop, deploy and grow games and interactive 3D experiences across mobile, PC, console and extended reality.The stock has a Zacks Rank #1.
The average earnings surprise of U for the past four quarters is 7.37%.
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
About Screen of the Week
Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
Zacks.com featured highlights include PENN Entertainment, Boise Cascade, Dycom Industries, Silicon Motion Technology and Unity Software
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – July 20, 2026 – Stocks in this week’s article are PENN Entertainment Inc. (PENN - Free Report) , Boise Cascade (BCC - Free Report) , Dycom Industries (DY - Free Report) , Silicon Motion Technology (SIMO - Free Report) and Unity Software (U - Free Report) .
Looking for Earnings Beats? Buy These 5 Top-Ranked Stocks
It is not surprising that before an earnings season, every investor looks for stocks that can beat market expectations. This is because investors always try to position themselves ahead of time and look to tap stocks that are high-quality in nature.
In this regard, we ran a screener that yielded stocks PENN Entertainment Inc., Boise Cascade, Dycom Industries, Silicon Motion Technology and Unity Software as the likely winners on the earnings beat potential.
Why Is a Positive Earnings Surprise So Important?
Historically, stocks of companies with solid quarterly earnings (on a nominal basis) tank if they miss or merely meet market expectations. After all, a 20% earnings rise (though apparently looks good) doesn't tell you if earnings growth has been exhibiting a decelerating trend.
Also, seasonal fluctuations come into play sometimes. If a company's Q1 is seasonally weak and Q4 strong, then it is likely to report a sequential earnings decline. In such cases, growth rates are misleading when judging the true health of a company.
On the other hand, after much brainstorming and analysis of companies' financials and initiatives, Wall Street analysts project the earnings of companies. They, in fact, club their insights and a company's guidance when deriving an earnings estimate.
Thus, outperforming that estimate is almost equivalent to beating the company's own expectation as well as the market perception. And if the margin of earnings surprise is big, it typically drives the stock higher right after the release. Thus, more than anything else, an earnings surprise can push a stock higher.
How to Find Stocks That Can Beat?
Now, finding stocks that have the potential to beat on the bottom line may be investors' dream, but not an easy job. One way to do this is to look at the earnings surprise history of the company.
An impressive track in this regard generally acts as a catalyst in sending a stock higher. It indicates the company's ability to surpass estimates. And investors generally believe that the company will apply the same secret to execute yet another earnings beat in its next release.
Here are five out of 13 stocks:
PENN Entertainment: The Zacks Rank #1 company adopted its current name in 1994 when it became publicly traded. PENN Entertainment is a multi-jurisdictional owner and operator of gaming and racing facilities with video gaming terminal operations and a focus on slot machine entertainment. The company's portfolio is geographically diverse and includes a broad set of regional properties. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The average earnings surprise of PENN for the past four quarters is 120.11%.
Boise Cascade:The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is one of the largest wood products manufacturers and a leading U.S. wholesale distributor of building products, headquartered in Boise, ID.
The average earnings surprise of BCC for the past four quarters is 40.83%.
Dycom Industries: The Zacks Rank #1 company is a specialty contracting firm operating in the telecom industry.
The average earnings surprise of DY for the past four quarters is 24.96%.
Silicon Motion Technology: Silicon Motion Technology Corporation is a leading developer of microcontroller ICs for NAND flash storage devices. The stock has a Zacks Rank #1.
The average earnings surprise of SIMO for the past four quarters is 18.61%.
Unity Software: The company provides a platform to develop, deploy and grow games and interactive 3D experiences across mobile, PC, console and extended reality.The stock has a Zacks Rank #1.
The average earnings surprise of U for the past four quarters is 7.37%.
For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2955556/looking-for-earnings-beat-buy-these-5-top-ranked-stocks
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
About Screen of the Week
Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Contact: Jim Giaquinto
Company: Zacks.com
Phone: 312-265-9268
Email: pr@zacks.com
Visit: https://www.zacks.com/
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.