Wall Street watches a company's quarterly report closely to understand as much as possible about its recent performance and what to expect going forward. Of course, one figure often stands out among the rest: earnings.

We know earnings results are vital, but how a company performs compared to bottom line expectations can be even more important when it comes to stock prices, especially in the near-term. This means that investors might want to take advantage of these 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.

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.

Bringing together a positive earnings ESP alongside a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better has helped stocks report a positive earnings surprise 70% of the time. Furthermore, by using these parameters, investors have seen 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 SM Energy?

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. SM Energy (SM Quick QuoteSM - Free Report) holds a #1 (Strong Buy) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.84 a share 20 days away from its upcoming earnings release on November 3, 2026.

By taking the percentage difference between the $1.84 Most Accurate Estimate and the $1.79 Zacks Consensus Estimate, SM Energy has an Earnings ESP of +2.74%. Investors should also know that SM 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.

SM is part of a big group of Oils and Energy stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Diamondback Energy (FANG Quick QuoteFANG - Free Report) as well.

Diamondback Energy is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on November 2, 2026. FANG's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $4.71 a share 19 days from its next earnings release.

Diamondback Energy's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +5.40% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.47.

SM and FANG's positive ESP metrics may signal that a positive earnings surprise for both stocks is on the horizon.

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 >>