What to look for

C3.ai, Inc. is expected to (AI) in its report for the quarter ended January 2022 will present a year-on-year decline in profits due to higher revenues. This widely known consensus forecast paints a good picture of the company’s earnings picture, but comparing actual results to these estimates is an important factor that could impact the near-term share price.

The earnings report, due on March 2, 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 management’s discussion of business conditions during the earnings call will largely determine the sustainability of immediate price action and future earnings expectations, it’s worth having partial insight into the likelihood of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus Estimate

The company is expected to report quarterly loss of $0.27 per share in the upcoming report, representing a year-over-year change of -17.4%.

Revenue is expected to be $67.29 million, up 37% from 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 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. Our proprietary surprise prediction model, the Zacks Earnings ESP, is based on this insight.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimates to the Zacks Consensus Estimates for the quarter; The Most Accurate Estimate is the newer version of the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate. 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.

Thus, a positive or negative earnings 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 ESP reading does not mean a loss of profits. 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 C3.ai, Inc.

In the case of C3.ai, 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 has a Zacks Rank of #3.

Therefore, this combination makes it difficult to clearly predict that C3.ai, 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 surprise history to gauge its impact on the upcoming issue.

In the last quarter, it was expected that C3.ai, Inc. will report a loss of $0.32 per share when in fact it generated a loss of $0.23, representing a surprise of +28.13%.

The company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three 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.

C3.ai, 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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