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How to Boost Your Portfolio with Top Medical 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.

Now that we know how important earnings and earnings surprises are, it's time to show investors how to take advantage of these events to boost their returns by utilizing the Zacks Earnings ESP filter.

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.

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.

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 Thermo Fisher Scientific?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) 12 days from its next quarterly earnings release on July 26, 2023, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $5.49 a share.

Thermo Fisher Scientific's Earnings ESP sits at +1.18%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $5.49 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.43. TMO 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.

TMO is part of a big group of Medical stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY - Free Report) as well.

Bristol Myers Squibb is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on July 27, 2023. BMY's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $2.03 a share 13 days from its next earnings release.

For Bristol Myers Squibb, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.02 is +0.54%.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, TMO and BMY 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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Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMY) - free report >>

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO) - free report >>

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