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Looking for Stocks with Positive Earnings Momentum? Check Out These 2 Medical Names

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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.

We know earnings results are vital, but how a company performs compared to bottom line expectations can be even more important when it comes to stock prices, especially in the near-term. This means that investors might want to take advantage of these earnings surprises.

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 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.

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.

Most stocks, about 60%, fall into the #3 (Hold) category, and they are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with a #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy) rating, or the top 15% and top 5% of stocks, respectively, should outperform the market, with Strong Buy stocks outperforming more than any other rank.

Should You Consider Eli Lilly?

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. Eli Lilly (LLY - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.92 a share 16 days away from its upcoming earnings release on April 27, 2023.

LLY has an Earnings ESP figure of +14.63%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.92 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.68. Eli Lilly is one of a large database 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.

LLY is one of just a large database of Medical stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is Moderna (MRNA - Free Report) .

Moderna is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on May 3, 2023. MRNA's Most Accurate Estimate sits at -$1.55 a share 22 days from its next earnings release.

For Moderna, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of -$1.73 is +10.2%.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, LLY and MRNA 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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Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) - free report >>

Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) - free report >>

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