Hubbell Inc. HUBB is expected to report first quarter 2016 results on Apr 26. The company is a leading manufacturer of electrical and electronic products. Its products include plugs, receptacles, connectors, lighting fixtures, high voltage test and measurement equipment and voice and data signal processing components. Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors at Play Hubbell reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.30, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.17 but missed on revenues. Hubbell’s results were primarily impacted by macro trends and challenging end markets. But amid all this the company continues to execute on its One Hubbell strategy. During the quarter, Hubbell made investments to grow the business, took actions to streamline costs, and announced a plan to reclassify the common stock into a single class structure. The cost streamlining initiatives taken by the company are starting to show on results. Hubbell has exited eight facilities and initiated other actions, which are expected to further improve the company’s bottom line. However, an unfavorable foreign exchange rate is expected to remain a headwind. The company plans to offset these obstacles through productivity initiatives, restructuring actions, and capital deployment for both acquisitions and share repurchases. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Hubbell will beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: The Most Accurate estimate stands at $1.03 whereas and the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.06. Therefore, its Earnings ESP is -2.83%. Zacks Rank: Hubbell’s Zacks Rank #2 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 Consider Here are some companies which you may consider instead, as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:Anixter International Inc. AXE, with an Earnings ESP of +13.58% and a Zacks Rank #2Amgen Inc. AMGN, with an Earnings ESP of +3.52% and a Zacks Rank #3Yelp Inc. YELP, with an Earnings ESP of +18.75% and a Zacks Rank #3 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 >>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 ANIXTER INTL (AXE): Free Stock Analysis Report AMGEN INC (AMGN): Free Stock Analysis Report YELP INC (YELP): Free Stock Analysis Report HUBBELL INC (HUBB): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research