Burns identified 10 stocks that could beat and raise analyst expectations this quarter.After a dismal 2022, Wall Street had low expectations heading into this year. Consensus was that first quarter earnings would suffer, with lowered earnings-per-share estimates still unreachable for companies struggling against inflation, higher interest rates, and low consumer confidence.
Suddenly, Wall Street has higher expectations. And as Sam Burns knows, capitalizing on shifting analyst expectations can be a profitable investing strategy.Burns is the founder and chief strategist of Mill Street Research, an independent investment research firm geared towards institutional investors. Part of the research he provides his clients is centered on earnings — specifically, seeking out companies that will likely see their analysts raise forward estimates.
In an interview with Insider, Burns explained that he's created a system that tracks analysts' estimates heading into earnings season. It then ranks stocks that are reporting earnings within the next two weeks based on the likelihood of the analysts that follow them raising their estimates over the next month.
Then, Burns narrows his view to more recent analyst activity, even up to a month before earnings news.