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How Investors Can Grab Better Returns for Oils and Energy Using the Zacks ESP Screener

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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.

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.

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 Expected Surprise Prediction, or ESP, works by locking in on the most up-to-date analyst earnings revisions because they can be more accurate than estimates from weeks or even months before the actual release date. The thinking is pretty straightforward: analysts who provide earnings estimates closer to the report are likely to have more 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.

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.

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 Enterprise Products Partners?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Enterprise Products Partners (EPD - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) eight days from its next quarterly earnings release on November 1, 2022, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.62 a share.

Enterprise Products Partners' Earnings ESP sits at +0.54%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0.62 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.61. EPD is also part of a large group of stocks that boast a positive ESP. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

EPD 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 Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ - Free Report) as well.

Canadian Natural Resources, which is readying to report earnings on November 3, 2022, sits at a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $2.10 a share, and CNQ is 10 days out from its next earnings report.

Canadian Natural Resources' Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +0.48% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.09.

EPD and CNQ'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 >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) - free report >>

Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) - free report >>

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