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Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Computer and Technology Stocks Now

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Quarterly financial reports play a vital role on Wall Street, as they help investors see how a company has performed and what might be coming down the road in the near-term. And out of all of the metrics and results to consider, earnings is one of the most important.

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.

Now that we know how important earnings and earnings surprises are, it's time to show investors how to take advantage of these events to boost their returns by utilizing the Zacks Earnings ESP filter.

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.

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.

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.

Stocks with a #3 (Hold) ranking, which is most stocks covered at 60%, are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. But stocks that fall into the #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy) ranking, 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 Lam Research?

The last thing we will do today, now that we have a grasp on the ESP and how powerful of a tool it can be, is to quickly look at a qualifying stock. Lam Research (LRCX - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $10 a share 15 days away from its upcoming earnings release on January 25, 2023.

By taking the percentage difference between the $10 Most Accurate Estimate and the $9.96 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Lam Research has an Earnings ESP of +0.42%. Investors should also know that LRCX is one of a large group of stocks with positive ESPs. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

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

Datadog is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on February 9, 2023. DDOG's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.19 a share 30 days from its next earnings release.

For Datadog, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.19 is +0.44%.

LRCX and DDOG'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


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) - free report >>

Datadog, Inc. (DDOG) - free report >>

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