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.

The earnings figure itself is key, of course, but a beat or miss on the bottom line can sometimes be just as, if not more, important. Therefore, investors should consider paying close attention to these earnings surprises, as a big beat can help a stock climb and vice versa.

Now that we know how important earnings and earnings surprises are, it's time to show investors how to take advantage of these events to boost their returns by utilizing the Zacks Earnings ESP filter.

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.

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 Simon Property?

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. Simon Property (SPG Quick QuoteSPG - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $3.19 a share seven days away from its upcoming earnings release on August 10, 2026.

By taking the percentage difference between the $3.19 Most Accurate Estimate and the $3.18 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Simon Property has an Earnings ESP of +0.39%. Investors should also know that SPG is one of a large group 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.

SPG is just one of a large group of Finance stocks with a positive ESP figure. T. Rowe Price (TROW Quick QuoteTROW - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

T. Rowe Price is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on October 30, 2026. TROW's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $2.59 a share 88 days from its next earnings release.

T. Rowe Price's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +1.67% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.55.

SPG and TROW'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 >>