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Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Utilities Stocks Now
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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, or Expected Surprise Prediction, aims to find earnings surprises by focusing on the most recent analyst revisions. The basic premise is that if an analyst reevaluates their earnings estimate ahead of an earnings release, it means they likely have new information that could possibly be more accurate.
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 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 TransAlta?
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. TransAlta (TAC - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.37 a share, just seven days from its upcoming earnings release on November 7, 2023.
TAC has an Earnings ESP figure of +15.26%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0.37 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.32. TransAlta 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.
TAC is just one of a large group of Utilities stocks with a positive ESP figure. Consolidated Edison (ED - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.
Consolidated Edison, which is readying to report earnings on November 2, 2023, sits at a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $1.64 a share, and ED is two days out from its next earnings report.
Consolidated Edison's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +3.93% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.58.
TAC and ED'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 >>
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Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Utilities Stocks Now
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, or Expected Surprise Prediction, aims to find earnings surprises by focusing on the most recent analyst revisions. The basic premise is that if an analyst reevaluates their earnings estimate ahead of an earnings release, it means they likely have new information that could possibly be more accurate.
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 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 TransAlta?
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. TransAlta (TAC - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.37 a share, just seven days from its upcoming earnings release on November 7, 2023.
TAC has an Earnings ESP figure of +15.26%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0.37 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.32. TransAlta 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.
TAC is just one of a large group of Utilities stocks with a positive ESP figure. Consolidated Edison (ED - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.
Consolidated Edison, which is readying to report earnings on November 2, 2023, sits at a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $1.64 a share, and ED is two days out from its next earnings report.
Consolidated Edison's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +3.93% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.58.
TAC and ED'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 >>