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Want Better Returns? Don?t Ignore These 2 Transportation Stocks Set to Beat Earnings

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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.

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.

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.

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 United Parcel Service?

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. United Parcel Service (UPS - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $2.52 a share 15 days away from its upcoming earnings release on April 25, 2023.

By taking the percentage difference between the $2.52 Most Accurate Estimate and the $2.35 Zacks Consensus Estimate, United Parcel Service has an Earnings ESP of +7.48%. Investors should also know that UPS 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.

UPS is just one of a large group of Transportation stocks with a positive ESP figure. Canadian National (CNI - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Slated to report earnings on April 24, 2023, Canadian National holds a #3 (Hold) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $1.26 a share 14 days from its next quarterly update.

Canadian National's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +1.67% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.23.

UPS and CNI's positive ESP figures tell us that both stocks have a good chance at beating analyst expectations in their next earnings report.

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:


Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) - free report >>

United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) - free report >>

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