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 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 International Paper?

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. International Paper (IP Quick QuoteIP - Free Report) earns a #2 (Buy) right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.26 a share, just two days from its upcoming earnings release on October 31, 2024.

International Paper's Earnings ESP sits at +6.25%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0.26 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.24. IP 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.

IP is just one of a large group of Basic Materials stocks with a positive ESP figure. Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM Quick QuoteAEM - Free Report) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.

Slated to report earnings on October 30, 2024, Agnico Eagle Mines holds a #1 (Strong Buy) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $1.03 a share one day from its next quarterly update.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Agnico Eagle Mines is $0.98, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of +5.82%.

IP and AEM'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 >>