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How to Boost Your Portfolio with Top Computer and Technology Stocks Set to Beat Earnings

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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.

The earnings figure itself is key, of course, but a beat or miss on the bottom line can sometimes be just as, if not more, important. Therefore, investors should consider paying close attention to these earnings surprises, as a big beat can help a stock climb and vice versa.

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.

The core of the ESP model is comparing the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, where the resulting percentage difference between the two equals the Expected Surprise Prediction. The Zacks Rank is also factored into the ESP metric to better help find companies that appear poised to top their next bottom-line consensus estimate, which will hopefully help lift the stock price.

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 ranking of #3 (Hold), or 60% of all stocks covered by the Zacks Rank, are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with rankings of #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy), 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 Cisco Systems?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Cisco Systems (CSCO - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) seven days from its next quarterly earnings release on November 16, 2022, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.85 a share.

Cisco Systems' Earnings ESP sits at +1.46%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0.85 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.84. CSCO 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.

CSCO is just one of a large group of Computer and Technology stocks with a positive ESP figure. Microchip Technology (MCHP - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Microchip Technology is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on February 2, 2023. MCHP's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $1.55 a share 85 days from its next earnings release.

Microchip Technology's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +0.58% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.54.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, CSCO and MCHP 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 >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) - free report >>

Microchip Technology Incorporated (MCHP) - free report >>

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