Dycom Industries, Inc. DY is slated to report fiscal third-quarter 2017 results on May 24, before the opening bell.In the last reported quarter, the company beat estimates, scoring a positive earnings surprise of 18.8%. Encouragingly, the company has a stellar earnings surprise history with an average positive surprise of 17.3%, beating estimates all through.Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement.Factors to ConsiderOf late, Dycom’s profitability has soared on the back of increased demand for network bandwidth and mobile broadband, given the proliferation of smartphones. 2016 witnessed massive investments for wireline networks, much higher than that in the 90’s, allowing customers to embark on multi-year capital-spending initiatives.Significant deployment of wireline networks by major telecom companies — particularly 1-Gigabyte wireline networks — is expected to act as a major catalyst, propelling top-line growth for the soon-to-be-reported quarter. Rising capital expenditure by cable operators, who continue to deploy fiber in small and medium businesses, is also expected to boost profits.In addition, Dycom’s blue-chip client list and healthy backlog levels add to its strength. The company has registered a healthy backlog level of $5.112 billion at the end of the fiscal second quarter, of which approximately $2.363 billion is expected to be completed within the next 12 months. Also, a string of new contracts and renewal of old ones are likely to be conducive to the fiscal third-quarter 2017 results.Despite these strengths, the company’s sales are susceptible to seasonal fluctuations and inclement weather conditions, as a large portion of its work is done outdoors. As a matter of fact, pronounced seasonal impact from businesses acquired by the company in 2015 has hurt earnings significantly in the past. Moreover, reduced activity levels and order flow in the recently-acquired Goodman Networks pose as major concerns.Originally, Dycom had projected the buyout to generate about $150–$165 million in revenues over the subsequent 12 months after closing the deal. Currently, it has lowered the revenue expectations from the recently-acquired operations of Goodman Networks to about $10 million per quarter. This will likely stunt revenue growth for the upcoming quarter.Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not conclusively show that Dycom will beat earnings estimates in 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. But that is not the case here as you will see below.Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP for the company is 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate currently stand at $1.20. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Dycom Industries, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Dycom Industries, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Dycom Industries, Inc. QuoteZacks Rank: Dycom has a Zacks Rank #2. Though a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 increases the predictive power of the ESP, the company’s ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult.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 seeing negative estimate revisions.Stocks that Warrant a LookHere are some companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.Best Buy Co., Inc. BBY has an Earnings ESP of +10.0% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Fred’s Inc. FRED has an Earnings ESP of +16.67% and carries a Zacks Rank #3.Burlington Stores, Inc. BURL has an Earnings ESP of +2.86% and carries a Zacks Rank #2.Zacks' 2017 IPO Watch ListBefore looking into the stocks mentioned above, you may want to get a head start on potential tech IPOs that are popping up on Zacks' radar. Imagine being in the first wave of investors to jump on a company with almost unlimited growth potential? This Special Report gives you the current scoop on 5 that may go public at any time.One has driven from 0 to a $68 billion valuation in 8 years. Four others are a little less obvious but already show jaw-dropping growth. Download this IPO Watch List today for free >>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 Dycom Industries, Inc. (DY): Free Stock Analysis Report Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY): Free Stock Analysis Report Fred's, Inc. (FRED): Free Stock Analysis Report Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research