

The technique has proven to be very useful for finding positive surprises. The idea is that more recent information is, generally speaking, more accurate and can be a better predictor of the future, which can give investors an advantage in earnings season. Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) looks to find companies that have recently seen positive earnings estimate revision activity.

The industry with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top industry (1 out of 265), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Industries. An industry with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.

The Zacks Industry Rank assigns a rating to each of the 265 X (Expanded) Industries based on their average Zacks Rank. Researching stocks has never been so easy or insightful as with the ZER Analyst and Snapshot reports. It also includes an industry comparison table to see how your stock compares to its expanded industry, and the S&P 500. In addition to all of the proprietary analysis in the Snapshot, the report also visually displays the four components of the Zacks Rank (Agreement, Magnitude, Upside and Surprise) provides a comprehensive overview of the company business drivers, complete with earnings and sales charts a recap of their last earnings report and a bulleted list of reasons to buy or sell the stock. The detailed multi-page Analyst report does an even deeper dive on the company's vital statistics.
