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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.

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.

When we join a positive earnings ESP with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or stronger, stocks posted a positive bottom-line surprise 70% of the time. Plus, this system saw investors produce roughly 28% 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 Lyft?

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. Lyft (LYFT - Free Report) holds a #2 (Buy) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0 a share 28 days away from its upcoming earnings release on August 3, 2023.

Lyft's Earnings ESP sits at +100%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of -$0.01. LYFT 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.

LYFT is part of a big group of Computer and Technology stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Baidu Inc. (BIDU - Free Report) as well.

Baidu Inc. which is readying to report earnings on August 29, 2023, sits at a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $2.67 a share, and BIDU is 54 days out from its next earnings report.

For Baidu Inc. the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.64 is +1.14%.

LYFT and BIDU'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


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Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) - free report >>

Lyft, Inc. (LYFT) - free report >>

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