Lam Research Corporation LRCX is set to report third quarter fiscal 2016 results on Apr 20. Last quarter it posted a 10.6% positive surprise. Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.Growth Factors this Past QuarterLam Research delivered solid fiscal second-quarter 2016 results. It crossed $6.00 in earnings per share, grew shipments by 25% to nearly $6 billion and posted record revenues of $5.9 billion with operating profits expanding at more than 1.5 times the revenues.Lam acquired KLA-Tencor with expectations that the deal will strengthen its performance, hasten innovation and expand market relevance.However, in 2016, the company anticipated volatility and sluggish growth globally, with slow but steady improvement in some developed markets balancing the weakness in certain emerging economies.Earnings Whispers?Our proven model does not conclusively show that Lam Research is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below.Negative Zacks ESP: This is because the Most Accurate estimate stands at $1.08 per share while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged higher at $1.10. That is a difference of -1.82%.Zacks Rank: Lam Research’s Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) when combined with a negative ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.Stocks to ConsiderHere are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: Gilead Sciences Inc. GILD with Earnings ESP of +1.65% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy)Ametek Inc. AME with Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold)Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation NNA with Earnings ESP of +14.29% and a Zacks Rank #3Want 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 >>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 GILEAD SCIENCES (GILD): Free Stock Analysis Report LAM RESEARCH (LRCX): Free Stock Analysis Report AMETEK INC (AME): Free Stock Analysis Report NAVIOS MARI ACQ (NNA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research