Lumen Technologies, Inc. (LUMN Quick QuoteLUMN - Free Report) is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2021 results on Feb 9, after the closing bell. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered an earnings surprise of 29%, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 11 cents.

In the fourth quarter, the Monroe, LA-based telecommunications company is expected to have recorded lower revenues on a year-over-year basis owing to a challenging macroeconomic environment in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Lumen is focused on accelerating its fiber investments across Business and Mass Markets segments, which should position it well for future growth. Enhanced platform capabilities, optimized asset portfolio and robust demand for the Lumen Platform might have acted as major tailwinds. It continues to address the dynamic requirements of its wide enterprise customer base on the back of various strategic initiatives.

Factors at Play

During the quarter under review, Lumen expanded its partnership with Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO Quick QuoteCSCO - Free Report) to unveil Lumen Solutions for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Cloud (UCMC). This avant-garde offering comes as a blessing, especially at a time when companies are investing heavily in the unified communications and collaboration tools that are essential for remote work in the pandemic situation.

The solution leverages Cisco’s advanced, cloud-based collaboration services integrated with the reliability and speed of Lumen's global fiber network. Lumen Solutions for Cisco UCMC has been specifically designed to empower employees with enterprise-level unified communications and collaboration service from the Cisco cloud while avoiding hefty capital investments and IT staffing expenses. Some of its service features are Cisco Webex integration, instant messaging and calling.

Lumen launched TIC 3.0 compliant security service — a managed security solution for the remote workforce and branch offices. The offering is touted as one of the first to meet the strict security requirements of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's Trusted Internet Connection 3.0 initiative. The secure work-from-anywhere solution is available on the General Services Administration's 15-year, $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract vehicle.

The company extended its Lumen platform with the launch of Lumen Edge Gateway. It empowers enterprises with IT applications and virtualized services on the edge. This compute platform delivers virtualized wide-area networking and security applications from multiple vendors on the premises edge. It allows medium to large-scale organizations to deploy and evolve network and security services without equipment constraints. Moreover, Lumen clinched a contract worth $23 million from the U.S. Army Reserve Command to offer Virtual Private Network services, including remote access solutions, to more than 650 Army Reserve locations across the country.

However, a decline in legacy voice services, along with economic uncertainties, as a result of the virus outbreak, is likely to have had an adverse impact on Lumen’s fourth-quarter revenues. Substitution of its traditional wireline telephone services by wireless and other competitive low-priced offerings together with a massive debt burden might have further dampened its top line in the to-be-reported quarter.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for total revenues for the fourth quarter is pegged at $4,865 million, suggesting a fall from the year-earlier reported figure of $5,125 million. The consensus mark for earnings is currently pegged at 55 cents per share, indicating a 14.6% rise from 48 cents reported in the year-earlier quarter.

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Lumen this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is not the case here.

Earnings ESP: Lumen’s Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Lumen Technologies, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Zacks Rank: Lumen currently has a Zacks Rank #3.

Stocks to Consider

Here are a few companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

Impinj, Inc. (PI Quick QuotePI - Free Report) is slated to release fourth-quarter 2021 results on Feb 9. It has an Earnings ESP of +166.66% and currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Impinj has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 20%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has been revised 80% upward in the past 60 days. PI shares have gained 20.7% in the past year. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 128.3%, on average.

Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG Quick QuotePAG - Free Report) is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2021 results on Feb 9. It has an Earnings ESP of +6.39% and carries a Zacks Rank #2.

With a VGM Score of A, Penske Automotive has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 20.9%. PAG shares have soared 48.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has been revised 0.7% upward in the past 60 days. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 20.3%, on average.

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