We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Consumer Staples Stocks Now
Read MoreHide Full Article
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.
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 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 General Mills?
The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. General Mills (GIS - Free Report) earns a #2 (Buy) 28 days from its next quarterly earnings release on March 22, 2023, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.94 a share.
By taking the percentage difference between the $0.94 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0.89 Zacks Consensus Estimate, General Mills has an Earnings ESP of +5.5%. Investors should also know that GIS 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.
GIS is part of a big group of Consumer Staples stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Hershey (HSY - Free Report) as well.
Hershey, which is readying to report earnings on April 27, 2023, sits at a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $2.67 a share, and HSY is 64 days out from its next earnings report.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hershey is $2.66, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +0.45%.
Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, GIS and HSY 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
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Consumer Staples Stocks Now
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.
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 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 General Mills?
The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. General Mills (GIS - Free Report) earns a #2 (Buy) 28 days from its next quarterly earnings release on March 22, 2023, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.94 a share.
By taking the percentage difference between the $0.94 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0.89 Zacks Consensus Estimate, General Mills has an Earnings ESP of +5.5%. Investors should also know that GIS 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.
GIS is part of a big group of Consumer Staples stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Hershey (HSY - Free Report) as well.
Hershey, which is readying to report earnings on April 27, 2023, sits at a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $2.67 a share, and HSY is 64 days out from its next earnings report.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hershey is $2.66, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +0.45%.
Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, GIS and HSY 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 >>