Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Oils-Energy Stocks Now
Earnings are arguably the most important single number on a company's quarterly financial report. Wall Street clearly dives into all of the other metrics and management's input, but the EPS figure helps cut through all the noise.
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. Marathon Oil (MRO) holds a Zacks Rank #2 at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.79 a share 30 days away from its upcoming earnings release on November 1, 2023.
By taking the percentage difference between the $0.79 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0.63 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Marathon Oil has an Earnings ESP of 24.9%.
MRO is just one of a large group of Oils-Energy stocks with a positive ESP figure. Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) is another qualifying stock you may want to consider.
Slated to report earnings on November 2, 2023, Canadian Natural Resources holds a #3 (Hold) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $1.54 a share 31 days from its next quarterly update.
For Canadian Natural Resources, the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.38 is 11.23%.
MRO and CNQ'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 >>
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Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNQ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
