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Want Better Returns? Don't Ignore These 2 Basic Materials Stocks Set to Beat Earnings
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Quarterly financial reports play a vital role on Wall Street, as they help investors see how a company has performed and what might be coming down the road in the near-term. And out of all of the metrics and results to consider, earnings is one of the most important.
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.
The ability to identify stocks that are likely to top quarterly earnings expectations can be profitable, but it's no simple task. Here at Zacks, our Earnings ESP filter helps make things easier.
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.
The core of the ESP model is comparing the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, where the resulting percentage difference between the two equals the Expected Surprise Prediction. The Zacks Rank is also factored into the ESP metric to better help find companies that appear poised to top their next bottom-line consensus estimate, which will hopefully help lift the stock price.
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 NexGen Energy?
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. NexGen Energy (NXE - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at -$0.02 a share, just 22 days from its upcoming earnings release on November 4, 2026.
NXE has an Earnings ESP figure of +40.00%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the -$0.02 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of -$0.03. NexGen Energy 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.
NXE is just one of a large group of Basic Materials stocks with a positive ESP figure. Reliance (RS - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.
Slated to report earnings on October 21, 2026, Reliance holds a #1 (Strong Buy) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and its Most Accurate Estimate is $6.99 a share eight days from its next quarterly update.
For Reliance, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.76 is +3.37%.
Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, NXE and RS 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 >>
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
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Want Better Returns? Don't Ignore These 2 Basic Materials Stocks Set to Beat Earnings
Quarterly financial reports play a vital role on Wall Street, as they help investors see how a company has performed and what might be coming down the road in the near-term. And out of all of the metrics and results to consider, earnings is one of the most important.
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.
The ability to identify stocks that are likely to top quarterly earnings expectations can be profitable, but it's no simple task. Here at Zacks, our Earnings ESP filter helps make things easier.
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.
The core of the ESP model is comparing the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, where the resulting percentage difference between the two equals the Expected Surprise Prediction. The Zacks Rank is also factored into the ESP metric to better help find companies that appear poised to top their next bottom-line consensus estimate, which will hopefully help lift the stock price.
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 NexGen Energy?
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. NexGen Energy (NXE - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at -$0.02 a share, just 22 days from its upcoming earnings release on November 4, 2026.
NXE has an Earnings ESP figure of +40.00%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the -$0.02 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of -$0.03. NexGen Energy 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.
NXE is just one of a large group of Basic Materials stocks with a positive ESP figure. Reliance (RS - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.
Slated to report earnings on October 21, 2026, Reliance holds a #1 (Strong Buy) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and its Most Accurate Estimate is $6.99 a share eight days from its next quarterly update.
For Reliance, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.76 is +3.37%.
Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, NXE and RS 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 >>