How to Boost Your Portfolio with Top Retail-Wholesale Stocks Set to Beat Earnings

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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.

The earnings figure itself is key, but a beat or miss on the bottom line can sometimes be just as, if not more, important. Therefore, investors should consider paying close attention to these earnings surprises, as a big beat can help a stock climb even higher.

2 Stocks to Add to Your Watchlist

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. 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 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 look at a qualifying stock. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) holds a Zacks Rank #3 at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.15 a share 30 days away from its upcoming earnings release on March 30, 2023.

WBA has an Earnings ESP figure of 3.6%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.15 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.11.

WBA is part of a big group of Retail-Wholesale stocks that boast a positive ESP, and investors may want to take a look at Tractor Supply (TSCO) as well.

Tractor Supply is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on April 20, 2023. TSCO's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $1.71 a share 51 days from its next earnings release.

For Tractor Supply, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.69 is 0.91%.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, WBA and TSCO 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 >>

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Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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