The earnings performance of a company is of utmost importance for its stock investor. With Q1 earnings season just around the corner, let’s have a look at the factors that are expected to impact results.The first quarter began on a dismal note, with equity market sell-off owing to concerns on both global and domestic fronts. The economic slowdown in China, continued plunge in oil prices, stronger dollar, uncertainty over the timing of the next Fed rate hike and weaker-than-expected expansion of the U.S. economy made matters worse.As the quarter progressed, some apprehensions were put to rest. But the overall picture still remains grim. This is definitely going to hurt the financials of companies.Earnings for the S&P 500 stocks are projected to be down 10.3% year over year in the first quarter of 2016. Energy, which had been a major drag on results in prior quarters, is not the only weak sector this time. The earnings projection for other sectors is disappointing as well. (For a detailed look at the earnings trend, please read our latest Earnings Preview article).In such a scenario, investors may consider it prudent to adopt a cautious approach and may even refrain from investing for a while. However, no matter how weak corporate earnings turn out to be, there are always some stocks that emerge as winners.How to Choose Winning StocksYou can find companies with strong fundamentals and future prospects. Another key factor that one should consider is the comprehensive performance of the industry to which a company belongs.In fact, studies have divulged that an average stock in a strong industry is likely to perform better than an exceptional stock within an industry that is out of favor with investors. Therefore, the combination of top performing industries and stocks, which are expected to shine this earnings season and beyond, will surely strengthen your investment portfolio.Though finding top industries is not easy, the Zacks Industry Rank makes this task relatively simple. Along with screening the industries, one needs to be very careful in picking stocks to get meaningful profits.For this, we used the Zacks Stock Screener and zeroed in on stocks with Zack Industry Rank in top 10% and a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). Further, keeping the earnings season in mind, stocks with a positive Earnings ESP were considered.In order to further strengthen our selection, we selected stocks with earnings growth rate of 5% or more for 2016 and VGM score of ‘’A’’ (V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum).3 Stocks to Buy NowThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company GT, based in Akron, OH, is one of the world’s largest tire manufacturing companies. Belonging to the Auto-Tires-Trucks industry that carries a Zacks Industry Rank #4 (top 2%), the company develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes tires, and related products and services.Goodyear aims to achieve segment operating income of $2.1–$2.2 billion for 2016, up 10–15% year-over-year. This Zacks Rank #2 stock is expected to benefit from lower raw material costs, strong economic trends in North America and continued cost savings. Goodyear is expected to report results on May 4.Earnings ESP: +5.71%Market Cap: $8.39 billionGrowth Expectation for 2016: 15.78%Thor Industries Inc. THO, headquartered in Elkhart, IN, designs, manufactures and sells a range of recreational vehicles (RV), and related parts and accessories. The company belongs to the Construction industry, which has a Zacks Industry Rank #4 (top 2%).With continued improvement in consumer confidence, availability of retail and wholesale credit and low interest rates, this Zacks Rank #1 stock is expected to witness a rise in RV sales.Thor Industries is expected to report on Jun 2.Earnings ESP: +1.38%Market Cap: $3.28 billionGrowth Expectation for 2016: 25.66%Tyson Foods, Inc. TSN, headquartered in Springdale, AR, operates in the Consumer Staples industry, which has a Zacks Industry Rank #3 (top 1%). The company produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef, pork, prepared foods and allied products. This Zacks Rank #2 stock anticipates earnings per share in the range of $3.85 to $3.95 for 2016.Tyson Foods is slated to announce results on May 9.Earnings ESP: +1.12%Market Cap: $24.61 billionGrowth Expectation for 2016: 25.29%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 THOR INDS INC (THO): Free Stock Analysis Report TYSON FOODS A (TSN): Free Stock Analysis Report GOODYEAR TIRE (GT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research