Will Macy’s (M) beat estimates again in its next earnings report?

Have you been looking for stocks that could be well positioned to maintain their strong performance streak in the upcoming report? It is worth paying attention to Macy’s (M), which belongs to the Zacks Retail – Regional Department Stores industry.

Looking at the last two reports, the department store operator has had a strong streak of beating earnings estimates. Over the last two quarters, the company has exceeded estimates by an average of 22.48%.

For the most recent quarter, Macy’s was expected to earn $0.31 per share, but instead it reported earnings of $0.44 per share, representing a surprise of 41.94%. The consensus estimate for the prior quarter was $2.65 per share when it actually delivered $2.73 per share, representing a surprise of 3.02%.

Price and EPS surprise

With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates for Macy’s are getting higher. In fact, the company’s Zacks Earnings ESP (expected surprise) is positive, which is a great sign of earnings growth, especially when you combine this metric with a 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 in this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus could be as high as seven.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimates to the Zacks Consensus Estimates for the quarter; The Most Accurate Estimate is the Zacks Consensus version, which is defined in terms of change. The idea is that analysts reviewing their estimates just before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and other consensus participants had previously predicted.

The ESP for Macy’s is currently +3.97%, which suggests that analysts have recently become optimistic about the company’s earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP combined with the stock’s Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another rally is likely just around the corner.

However, investors should remember that a negative earnings ESP reading does not mean a loss of earnings, but a negative value reduces the predictive power of the metric.

Many companies end up beating consensus EPS estimates, but that may not be the only basis for their stock’s rise. On the other hand, some stocks may hold even if they fall short of the consensus price.

For this reason, it is very important to check a company’s earnings ESP before its quarterly release to increase the chances of success. Use our Earnings ESP filter to find the best stocks to buy or sell before they report.

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