ONEOK, Inc. OKE is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 25, after market close. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered positive earnings surprise of 5.63%.Let’s see how things are shaping up prior to the upcoming results.Factors to ConsiderONEOK is focused on boosting stakeholders’ value, courtesy of well-positioned assets and expansion of capital growth projects. Fee-based services are expected to be the largest contributor to earnings growth. The company expects average fee rate for the fourth quarter to be in line with the third-quarter tally.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter 2018 earnings per share is pegged at 74 cents. The projected figure reflects year-over-year increase of 42.31%. However, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter 2018 sales is pegged at $3.09 billion, reflecting year-over-year decline of 18.47%.ONEOK, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise ONEOK, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | ONEOK, Inc. Quote Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not show that ONEOK is likely to beat estimates this quarter as it does not possess the key components. A stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. However, that is not the case here as you will see below.Zacks ESP: The company’s Earnings ESP is -3.87%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: ONEOK carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions.Stocks to ConsiderHere are some companies from the Utilities sector that you may want to consider instead, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.Sempra Energy SRE has Earnings ESP of +2.39% and a Zacks Rank #3. It is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 26.Pacific Gas & Electric Co. PCG has Earnings ESP of +3.23% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. It is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 28.PNM Resources, Inc. PNM has Earnings ESP of +13.43% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. It is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 27.Wall Street’s Next AmazonZacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius.Click for details >>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 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PCG): Free Stock Analysis Report PNM Resources, Inc. (Holding Co.) (PNM): Free Stock Analysis Report ONEOK, Inc. (OKE): Free Stock Analysis Report Sempra Energy (SRE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research