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Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Finance Stocks Now

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Earnings are arguably the most important single number on a company's quarterly financial report. Wall Street clearly dives into all of the other metrics and management's input, but the EPS figure helps cut through all the noise.

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.

The ability to identify stocks that are likely to top quarterly earnings expectations can be profitable, but it's no simple task. Here at Zacks, our Earnings ESP filter helps make things easier.

The Zacks Earnings ESP, Explained

The Zacks Earnings ESP is more formally known as the Expected Surprise Prediction, and it aims to grab the inside track on the latest analyst estimate revisions ahead of a company's report. The idea is relatively intuitive as a newer projection might be based on more complete information.

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.

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 BlackRock?

Now that we understand what the ESP is and how beneficial it can be, let's dive into a stock that currently fits the bill. BlackRock (BLK - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $7.89 a share, just 24 days from its upcoming earnings release on January 13, 2023.

BlackRock's Earnings ESP sits at +0.64%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $7.89 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.84. BLK 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.

BLK is part of a big group of Finance stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Simon Property (SPG - Free Report) as well.

Slated to report earnings on February 6, 2023, Simon Property holds a #3 (Hold) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $3.15 a share 48 days from its next quarterly update.

For Simon Property, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.14 is +0.42%.

BLK and SPG'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 >>


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Simon Property Group, Inc. (SPG) - free report >>

BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) - free report >>

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