Why Earnings Season Could Be Great for American Electric (AEP)
Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and American Electric Power Company, Inc. AEP may be one such company. The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon, and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report.
That is because American Electric is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. After all, analysts raising estimates right before earnings — with the most up-to-date information possible — is a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for AEP in this report.
In fact, the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently at $1.34 per share for AEP, compared to a broader Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.31 per share. This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for AEP, giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of +2.68% heading into earnings season.
American Electric Power Company, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise
American Electric Power Company, Inc. price-eps-surprise | American Electric Power Company, Inc. Quote
Why is this Important?
A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises, and outperforming the market. Our recent 10-year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better show a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and have returned over 28% on average in annual returns (see more Top Earnings ESP stocks here).
Given that AEP has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an ESP in positive territory, investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Clearly, recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for American Electric, and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming report.
Wall Street’s Next Amazon
Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius.
Click for details >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
