Wall Street watches a company's quarterly report closely to understand as much as possible about its recent performance and what to expect going forward. Of course, one figure often stands out among the rest: earnings.

Life and the stock market are both about expectations, and rising above what is expected is often rewarded, while falling short can come with negative consequences. Investors might want to try to capture stronger returns by finding positive earnings surprises.

The Zacks Earnings ESP is more formally known as the Expected Surprise Prediction, and it aims to grab the inside track on the latest analyst estimate revisions ahead of a company's report. The idea is relatively intuitive as a newer projection might be based on more complete information. The ESP is calculated by comparing the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, with the percentage difference between the two giving us the Zacks ESP figure.

Now that we understand what the ESP is and how beneficial it can be, let's dive into a stock that currently fits the bill. Bilibili (BILI) earns a Zacks Rank #3 right now and its Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.18 a share, just three days from its upcoming earnings release on August 21, 2025.

By taking the percentage difference between the $0.18 Most Accurate Estimate and the $0.17 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Bilibili has an Earnings ESP of +5.88%.

BILI is one of just a large database of Consumer Discretionary stocks with positive ESPs. Another solid-looking stock is DraftKings (DKNG).

DraftKings is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, and is getting ready to report earnings on November 6, 2025. DKNG's Most Accurate Estimate sits at $0.06 a share 80 days from its next earnings release.

DraftKings' Earnings ESP figure currently stands at +1,166.66% after taking the percentage difference between its Most Accurate Estimate and its Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.01.

Because both stocks hold a positive Earnings ESP, BILI and DKNG could potentially post earnings beats in their next reports.

Use the Zacks Earnings ESP Filter to turn up stocks with the highest probability of positively, or negatively, surprising to buy or sell before they're reported for profitable earnings season trading. Check it out here >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Bilibili Inc. Sponsored ADR (BILI) : Free Stock Analysis Report

DraftKings Inc. (DKNG) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research