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.

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.

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, or Expected Surprise Prediction, aims to find earnings surprises by focusing on the most recent analyst revisions. The basic premise is that if an analyst reevaluates their earnings estimate ahead of an earnings release, it means they likely have new information that could possibly be more accurate.

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.

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.

Most stocks, about 60%, fall into the #3 (Hold) category, and they are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with a #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy) rating, or the top 15% and top 5% of stocks, respectively, should outperform the market, with Strong Buy stocks outperforming more than any other rank.

Should You Consider Zoetis?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Zoetis (ZTS Quick QuoteZTS - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) eight days from its next quarterly earnings release on November 5, 2026, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.54 a share.

ZTS has an Earnings ESP figure of +2.16%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.54 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.51. Zoetis 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.

ZTS is part of a big group of Medical stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Novartis (NVS Quick QuoteNVS - Free Report) as well.

Novartis, which is readying to report earnings on February 3, 2027, sits at a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) right now. Its Most Accurate Estimate is currently $2.31 a share, and NVS is 98 days out from its next earnings report.

For Novartis, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.23 is +3.77%.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, ZTS and NVS 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 >>