Companies like Copa Holdings and Nova, which report earnings next week, have a track record of beating Wall Street’s expectations. After the hectic pace of the last two weeks, the reporting season will take a break in the next few days. Only eight stocks in the S&P 500 and one component in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are expected to report results. The first quarter earnings season has been very positive so far. Of the more than 420 S&P 500 companies that filed reports, nearly 85% had earnings beats, FactSet data shows. Around 78% achieved sales that exceeded expectations. Stocks can experience a boost when their reports or predictions for future performance impress investors. CNBC Pro sifted through data from Bespoke Investment Group to find companies with a history of beating earnings expectations and whose stocks have risen based on those numbers. To be included in the table below, companies had to beat analysts’ expected earnings per share at least 70% of the time and report an average gain of 1% or more on the first day after the release of their latest financial results. Copa reports earnings next Wednesday, and the stock is up 1.9% on average after each report. Last month, Goldman Sachs upgraded the Latin American airline to neutral. “We highlight that the company operates with the lowest leverage within our coverage and has a geographical competitive advantage that should allow the company to withstand the current macroeconomic volatility and pass higher fuel prices on tickets that may have a smaller impact on demand compared to other competitors in the region,” wrote analyst Joao Frizo. Frizo’s new price target of $151 (from $138) implies an upside of approximately 23% from current levels. The stock is up 2% this year. Semiconductor component manufacturer Nova reports its results on Thursday. Shares, on average, rose 1.6% after the stock reported earnings. In March, Barclays initiated coverage of the stock with an Overweight rating and a $465 price target. The stock is up 53% this year, closing at $534.54 on Wednesday afternoon, already surpassing Barclays’ price target. “NVMI addresses both the front and back ends through dimensional, chemical and materials metrology with an installed base of approximately 7,300 tools. We expect [water fabrication equipment] “We will see strong growth as foundry/logic and DRAM capacity expansions take shape in 2HCY27 and 1HCY28,” wrote analyst Tom O’Malley. “We are interested in the entire metrology space as it grows to support yield improvements for more sophisticated technology transitions.” Other stocks reporting earnings next week that have posted surprise gains in the past include Yeti, Vonage and Kornit Digital.
