Burlington Stores, Inc. BURL is scheduled to report third-quarter fiscal 2018 numbers on Nov 28, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, this off-price retailer delivered a positive earnings surprise of 18.6%. Further, the bottom line has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 11.4% in the trailing four quarters. Let’s see what awaits this quarterly release.How are Estimates Faring?Investors are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for a positive earnings surprise in the quarter to be reported. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter under review is pegged at $1.06, reflecting an increase of 51.4% from 70 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. Notably, the consensus mark moved north by a penny over the past seven days. For revenues, the same stands at $1,605 million, up about 11.6% from the year-ago quarter’s tally.Burlington Stores, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Burlington Stores, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Burlington Stores, Inc. QuoteWhich Factors Hold Key to Burlington Stores' Performance?Burlington Stores has made multiple changes to its business model to adapt to the ongoing transformation in the sector. The company, which started business as a coat-focused off-price retailer, is now focusing on “open to buy” off-price model. Currently, this model is helping customers to get nationally branded, fashionable, high quality as well as right priced products. This apart, the company’s long-term strategies include enhancement of assortments with primary focus on underpenetrated categories, particularly home and beauty. The company is benefiting from its multichannel engagement strategy as well.Moreover, Burlington Stores has been on track with its store expansion strategy. It plans to open 43 net new stores in fiscal 2018, up from prior guidance of 35-40. This comprises 67 gross new stores and 24 store relocations and closures. It also believes that there is room to increase the store count to 1,000. Also, management stated that the company acquired three Toys R Us locations during the second quarter and is also evaluating other sites.Driven by these above-mentioned initiatives, Burlington Stores is not only doing well on the revenue front but also gaining from its consecutive earnings beat. The company expects fiscal third-quarter sales to rise in the band of 11-12%, with comps growth of 2-3%. Further, Burlington Stores envisions earnings in the range of $1.00-$1.04. Also, the gross margin has been impressive and we expect the momentum to continue in the fiscal third quarter.What the Zacks Model UnveilsOur proven model shows that Burlington Stores is likely to beat earnings estimates in third-quarter fiscal 2018. 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. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Burlington Stores has a Zacks Rank #2 and an Earnings ESP of +3.01%.Stocks With Favorable CombinationHere are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post earnings beat.Ross Stores, Inc. ROST has an Earnings ESP of +2.32% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Target Corporation TGT has an Earnings ESP of +1.20% and a Zacks Rank #2.The TJX Companies, Inc. TJX has an Earnings ESP of +1.16% and a Zacks Rank #2.Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>>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 Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL): Free Stock Analysis Report The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX): Free Stock Analysis Report Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST): Free Stock Analysis Report Target Corporation (TGT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research