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.

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 final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Paypal (PYPL) earns a Zacks Rank #3 12 days from its next quarterly earnings release on February 4, 2025, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $1.14 a share.

PYPL has an Earnings ESP figure of 2.41%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $1.14 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.11.

PYPL is one of just a large database of Computer and Technology stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is Impinj (PI).

Slated to report earnings on February 5, 2025, Impinj holds a #1 (Strong Buy) ranking on the Zacks Rank, and it's Most Accurate Estimate is $0.48 a share 13 days from its next quarterly update.

Impinj's Earnings ESP figure currently stands at 1.41% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.47.

PYPL and PI's positive ESP metrics may signal that a positive earnings surprise for both stocks is on the horizon.

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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PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Impinj, Inc. (PI) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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