Can Southwestern Energy (SWN) Keep the Earnings Surprise Streak Alive?

If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Southwestern Energy (SWN). This company, which is in the Zacks Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.

When looking at the last two reports, this independent oil and gas company has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 61.43%, on average, in the last two quarters.

For the last reported quarter, Southwestern Energy came out with earnings of $0.10 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.07 per share, representing a surprise of 42.86%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.10 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.18 per share, delivering a surprise of 80%.

Price and EPS Surprise

With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Southwestern Energy. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank.

Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Southwestern Energy has an Earnings ESP of +118.75% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner.

With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss.

Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.

Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

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
 
Southwestern Energy Company (SWN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research