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Want Better Returns? Don?t Ignore These 2 Auto, Tires and Trucks Stocks Set to Beat Earnings

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Earnings are arguably the most important single number on a company's quarterly financial report. Wall Street clearly dives into all of the other metrics and management's input, but the EPS figure helps cut through all the noise.

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.

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 Mobileye Global?

Now that we understand what the ESP is and how beneficial it can be, let's dive into a stock that currently fits the bill. Mobileye Global (MBLY - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.13 a share, just 13 days from its upcoming earnings release on July 27, 2023.

By taking the percentage difference between the $0.13 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0.12 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Mobileye Global has an Earnings ESP of +6.85%. Investors should also know that MBLY 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.

MBLY is part of a big group of Auto, Tires and Trucks stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at CarGurus (CARG - Free Report) as well.

CarGurus is a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on August 14, 2023. CARG's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.25 a share 31 days from its next earnings release.

CarGurus' Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +6.52% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.23.

MBLY and CARG'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:


Mobileye Global Inc. (MBLY) - free report >>

CarGurus, Inc. (CARG) - free report >>

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