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.

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 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.

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 Trustmark?

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. Trustmark (TRMK Quick QuoteTRMK - Free Report) earns a #3 (Hold) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.85 a share, just 19 days from its upcoming earnings release on October 22, 2024.

By taking the percentage difference between the $0.85 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0.83 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Trustmark has an Earnings ESP of +2.1%. Investors should also know that TRMK 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.

TRMK is just one of a large group of Finance stocks with a positive ESP figure. Aflac (AFL Quick QuoteAFL - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Aflac, which is readying to report earnings on October 30, 2024, sits at a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $1.80 a share, and AFL is 27 days out from its next earnings report.

Aflac's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +8.06% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.67.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, TRMK and AFL 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 >>