Culp, Inc. (CULP) Second-quarter earnings expected to decline

The market expects Culp, Inc. (CULP) will report results for the quarter ending October 2022, which means a year-over-year profit decline on lower revenues. This well-known consensus outlook is important when assessing a company’s earnings picture, but an important factor that can impact a company’s near-term share price is how actual results compare to estimates.

Shares could move higher if these key numbers meet expectations in the upcoming earnings report, due on December 7. On the other hand, if these key numbers are not met, the stock could fall.

While management’s discussion of business conditions during the earnings call will largely determine the durability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it is worth having partial insight into the likelihood of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus Estimate

The company is expected to report quarterly loss of $1.10 per share in its upcoming report, which would represent a year-over-year change of -1,671.4%.

Revenue is expected to be $57.75 million, down 22.6% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate the trend of change

Consensus EPS estimates for this quarter have been revised 4,500% down to current levels 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 direction of each analyst’s estimate revisions will not always be reflected in the aggregate change.

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 Culp, Inc.

In the case of Culp, Inc. The Most Accurate Estimate is the same as the Zacks Consensus Estimate, which suggests that there is no recent analyst view that differs from what was used to support the consensus estimate. This resulted in an earnings ESP of 0%.

On the other hand, the stock currently sports a Zacks Rank of #4.

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

Does the history of surprising results have any clue?

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

Culp, Inc. was expected last quarter. will post a loss of $0.31 per share when it actually generated a loss of $0.47, resulting in a surprise of -51.61%.

The company has failed to beat consensus EPS estimates in each of 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.

Culp, Inc. It doesn’t seem like a compelling candidate to beat earnings. 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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