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Zacks.com featured highlights include: Crocs, Skechers, Tandem, CyberArk and Fortinet

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 21, 2019 - Stocks in this week’s article are Crocs Inc. (CROX - Free Report) , Skechers U.S.A. Inc. (SKX - Free Report) , Tandem Diabetes Care Inc. (TNDM - Free Report) , CyberArk Software Ltd. (CYBR - Free Report) and Fortinet Inc. (FTNT - Free Report) .

Beyond Earnings Growth: Focus on Beat with These 5 Stocks

Plain and simple earnings growth may no longer entice investors. Now, earnings improvement (no matter how big it is) seems inadequate for solid moves in the market. It is the “BEAT” that matters the most and leads one to a lucrative investment.

What’s an Earnings Beat?

A positive earnings surprise or earnings beat is typically the case when actual or reported earnings come in above the consensus estimate. Historically, if a company’s earnings manage to beat market expectations, its stock surges post release.

This is because investors always try to take position ahead of time and look for stocks that are likely to come up with stellar performances. Now, since Wall Street analysts project earnings of companies after much deliberation, their estimates act as investment leads.

Why Give Earnings Beats So Much Precedence?

After all, only earnings beat can give investors a clear picture of a company’s strength when an industry-wide earnings recession is felt.

Also, a 20% earnings rise (though apparently looks good) doesn’t tell you everything about the company’s performance. This might represent decelerating earnings growth momentum over the years or quarters, raising questions over the company’s fundamentals.

Also, seasonal fluctuations come into play at times. If a company’s Q1 is seasonally weak and Q4 is strong, then it is likely to report a sequential earnings decline. In such cases, growth rates are misleading while judging the true health of a company.

On the other hand, analysts put together their insights and a company’s guidance when giving an earnings estimate. Thus, outperforming that estimate is almost equivalent to beating the company’s own expectation as well as market perception.

How to Find Stocks that Can Beat

Now, since it is difficult to foretell if a company will beat or miss in the upcoming earnings season, investors can check the earnings surprise history. An impressive track in this regard generally acts as a catalyst in sending a stock higher. It indicates the company’s consistency in surpassing estimates. And investors generally believe that the company will have the same trick up its sleeve or in other words is smart enough to beat on earnings in its next release.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/479174/beyond-earnings-growth-focus-on-beat-with-these-5-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 >>.

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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 http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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