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How to Find Strong Retail and Wholesale Stocks Slated for Positive Earnings Surprises

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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.

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.

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 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 Williams-Sonoma?

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. Williams-Sonoma (WSM - Free Report) holds a #3 (Hold) at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $2.77 a share two days away from its upcoming earnings release on August 23, 2023.

WSM has an Earnings ESP figure of +2.21%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $2.77 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.71. Williams-Sonoma 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.

WSM is just one of a large group of Retail and Wholesale stocks with a positive ESP figure. Expedia (EXPE - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Expedia, which is readying to report earnings on November 2, 2023, sits at a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $5.16 a share, and EXPE is 73 days out from its next earnings report.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Expedia is $5.15, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +0.21%.

WSM and EXPE's positive ESP metrics may signal that a positive earnings surprise for both stocks is on the horizon.

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:


Expedia Group, Inc. (EXPE) - free report >>

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM) - free report >>

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