Lightspeed Commerce Inc.’s earnings are expected to be (LSPD) will decline in the third quarter

Wall Street expects year-over-year profits to decline on higher revenues as Lightspeed Commerce Inc. (LSPD) will report earnings for the quarter ended December 2021. While this widely known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company’s earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact the company’s near-term stock price is the comparison of actual results to estimates.

The earnings report, due on February 3, 2022, could help the stock climb higher if these key numbers are better than expected. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock could fall.

While the sustainability of the immediate price movement and future earnings expectations will largely depend on management’s discussion of business conditions during the earnings call, it is worth limiting the likelihood of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus Estimate

The company is expected to report quarterly loss of $0.07 per share in its upcoming report, representing a year-over-year change of -16.7%.

Revenue is expected to be $143.12 million, an increase of 148.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Estimate the trend of change

The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has not changed over the last 30 days. This broadly reflects how analysts covering the data have collectively re-evaluated their initial estimates during this period.

Investors should note that the aggregate change does not necessarily reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each major analyst.

Whisper about earnings

Revisions to estimates prior to a company’s earnings release provide an indication of business conditions in the period in which the earnings are expected to be released. This insight is at the heart of our proprietary surprise prediction model, the Zacks Earnings ESP.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimates to the Zacks Consensus Estimates for the quarter; The Most Accurate Estimate is a newer revision of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea is that analysts reviewing their estimates just before an earnings release have the latest information that could potentially be more accurate than what they and other consensus participants had previously predicted.

Thus, a positive or negative ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of actual earnings from consensus estimates. However, the predictive power of the model is only significant for positive ESP readings.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, especially when paired with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks in this combination deliver a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of its Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative earnings ESP reading does not mean a loss of earnings. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict earnings growth with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative ESP readings and/or a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How the numbers stacked up for Lightspeed Commerce Inc.

In the case of Lightspeed Commerce Inc. The Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company’s earnings prospects. This resulted in an earnings ESP of -42.86%.

On the other hand, the stock currently has a Zacks Rank of #3.

Therefore, this combination makes it difficult to clearly predict that Lightspeed Commerce Inc. will exceed consensus EPS estimates.

Does the history of surprising results have any clue?

When calculating future earnings estimates, analysts often consider how well a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past. So it’s worth taking a look at the history of surprises to assess its impact on the upcoming issue.

In the last quarter, Lightspeed Commerce Inc. was expected to be will report a loss of $0.10 per share when in fact it generated a loss of $0.08, representing a surprise of +20%.

The company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times over the last four quarters.

Bottom line

Improving or lacking earnings may not be the only basis for a stock’s value rising or falling. Many stocks lose value despite good earnings because of other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help many stocks gain despite losing profits.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to exceed earnings expectations increases your chances of success. Therefore, it is worth checking the company’s Earnings Rank and Zacks Rank before their quarterly release. Use our Earnings ESP filter to find the best stocks to buy or sell before they report.

Lightspeed Commerce Inc. doesn’t seem like a compelling candidate to beat profits. However, investors should also pay attention to other factors if they want to bet on or stay away from these stocks ahead of an earnings release.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.

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