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Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Utilities Stocks Now

Zacks Equity Research
·2 min read

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.

Life and the stock market are both about expectations, and rising above what is expected is often rewarded, while falling short can come with negative consequences. Investors might want to try to capture stronger returns by finding positive earnings surprises.

2 Stocks to Add to Your Watchlist

The Zacks Earnings ESP is more formally known as the Expected Surprise Prediction, and it aims to grab the inside track on the latest analyst estimate revisions ahead of a company's report. The idea is relatively intuitive as a newer projection might be based on more complete information. The ESP is calculated by comparing the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, with the percentage difference between the two giving us the Zacks ESP figure.

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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. CenterPoint Energy (CNP) holds a Zacks Rank #2 at the moment and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $0.32 a share 28 days away from its upcoming earnings release on November 1, 2022.

CenterPoint Energy's Earnings ESP sits at 2.13%, which, as explained above, is calculated by taking the percentage difference between the $0.32 Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.31.

CNP is one of just a large database of Utilities stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is Sempra (SRE).

Sempra, which is readying to report earnings on November 4, 2022, sits at a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) right now. It's Most Accurate Estimate is currently $2.37 a share, and SRE is 31 days out from its next earnings report.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sempra is $1.95, and when you take the percentage difference between that number and its Most Accurate Estimate, you get the Earnings ESP figure of 21.54%.

CNP and SRE'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 >>


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
 
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Sempra Energy (SRE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research