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Want Better Returns? Don?t Ignore These 2 Retail and Wholesale Stocks Set to Beat Earnings

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Two factors often determine stock prices in the long run: earnings and interest rates. Investors can't control the latter, but they can focus on a company's earnings results every quarter.

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 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.

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 Kroger?

The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Kroger (KR - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) one day from its next quarterly earnings release on June 20, 2024, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.34 a share.

Kroger's Earnings ESP sits at +0.83%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.34 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.33. KR 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.

KR is part of a big group of Retail and Wholesale stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Carvana (CVNA - Free Report) as well.

Carvana is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on July 17, 2024. CVNA's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0 a share 28 days from its next earnings release.

Carvana's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +100% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of -$0.02.

KR and CVNA'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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The Kroger Co. (KR) - free report >>

Carvana Co. (CVNA) - free report >>

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