A handful of stocks have momentum behind them heading into their quarterly results next week. The third-quarter earnings season is on pace to surpass forecasts for growth. With roughly 64% of S & P 500 companies reporting results thus far, they’ve collectively posted earnings growth of more than 9%. Analysts have recently raised their profit forecasts on stocks including DuPont and Constellation Energy , which could be strong catalyst for future moves in the shares. CNBC Pro screened for names that have earnings momentum on their side, all of which had to meet the the following criteria: Members of the S & P 500 Earnings estimates have increased 15% in the past three- and six months Average upside to analysts’ price targets of 10% or more Rated buy from at at least 50% of analysts Shares of multinational chemical firm DuPont have advanced more than 8% in 2024. Analysts have increased their earnings forecasts for DuPont by more than 23% over the past six months and 29% over the past six months. While Wolfe Research analyst Chris Parkinson remains on the sidelines with a peer perform rating on DuPont stock, he remains confident that the company’s forthcoming results will point they way for key positive catalysts that will drive growth in 2025. DD YTD mountain DuPont stock. “We continue to view clarity on Electronics/Water mgmt. teams as a core catalyst (though not imminently expected), alongside PFAS [Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance] updates,” Parkinson wrote in an Oct. 24 note. Of all the stocks, analysts are most optimistic on Constellation Energy . Earnings forecasts over the past three months have surged 215%, faster than the 163% increase seen in the trailing six months. Shares have more than doubled in 2024, soaring almost 125%. CEG YTD mountain Constellation Energy stock. JPMorgan Chase analyst Jeremy Tonet highlighted Constellation’s strong balance sheet as well as potential to grow nuclear generation contracts. “CEG’s balanced all-of-the-above capital allocation also screens positively, with a mix of share repurchases, dividend growth and growth projects, plus the potential for disciplined M & A,” Tonet wrote in an October note. Other names on the list with accelerating momentum include Howmet Aerospace and Emerson Electric .
