ArcBest (ARCB) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates: Can the Stock Move Higher?

Company Overview - ArcBest (ARCB) is expected to report a year-over-year decline in earnings, with a projected EPS of $1.46, reflecting a decrease of 26.3% compared to the previous year [3] - Revenues for the upcoming quarter are anticipated to be $1.04 billion, down 3.7% from the same quarter last year [3] Earnings Estimates and Revisions - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised down by 5.67% over the last 30 days, indicating a reassessment by analysts [4] - The Most Accurate Estimate for ArcBest is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, resulting in a positive Earnings ESP of +2.23% [12] Earnings Surprise Prediction - The Zacks Earnings ESP model suggests that a positive Earnings ESP reading is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, especially when combined with a Zacks Rank of 1, 2, or 3 [10] - ArcBest currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3, indicating a likelihood of beating the consensus EPS estimate [12] Historical Performance - In the last reported quarter, ArcBest was expected to post earnings of $0.52 per share but delivered $0.51, resulting in a surprise of -1.92% [13] - Over the past four quarters, ArcBest has only beaten consensus EPS estimates once [14] Industry Context - In the Zacks Transportation - Truck industry, Landstar System (LSTR) is also expected to report a decline in earnings, with an EPS estimate of $1.16, down 21.6% year-over-year [18] - Landstar's revenue is projected to be $1.21 billion, a decrease of 1.5% from the previous year [18] - The consensus EPS estimate for Landstar has been revised down by 1.4% in the last 30 days, and it has a negative Earnings ESP of -0.54% combined with a Zacks Rank of 4, indicating difficulty in predicting an earnings beat [19]