Deere & Company DE is scheduled to report second-quarter fiscal 2016 results on May 20. The company posted a year-over-year decline in both earnings and sales in first-quarter fiscal 2016. Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not conclusively show that Deere is likely to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate 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. Unfortunately, that is not the case here as elaborated below.Zacks ESP: Deere’s Earnings ESP is 0.00%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate both stand at $1.47.Zacks Rank: Deere has a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, a 0.00% 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.Surprise HistoryLast quarter, Deere posted a positive earnings surprise of 12.68%. Notably, the company has delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 23.00% over the trailing four quarters.Factors to ConsiderDeere projected that its sales are likely to deteriorate about 8% in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. The prediction includes a negative currency translation effect of about 3% for the quarter. Weak conditions in the energy sector and energy producing regions, especially in Canada, a decline in rental utilization rates and sluggish economic growth outside the U.S., remain persistent challenges for Deere.However, Deere will benefit from its skillful execution of business plans, acquisitions, cost controls and asset levels. In addition, the company’s commitment to provide advanced products and new technologies, along with efficient manufacturing capacity will drive growth.Stocks to ConsiderHere are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:Altra Industrial Motion Corp. AIMC has an Earnings ESP of +5.13% and a Zacks Rank #2.Nordson Corporation NDSN has an Earnings ESP of +2.15% and a Zacks Rank #3.Worthington Industries, Inc. WOR has an Earnings ESP of +6.35% 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 DEERE & CO (DE): Free Stock Analysis Report NORDSON CORP (NDSN): Free Stock Analysis Report ALTRA INDUS MOT (AIMC): Free Stock Analysis Report WORTHINGTON IND (WOR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research