Appian APPN is set to report first-quarter 2021 results on May 6.For the quarter, the company projects total revenues between $81.7 million and $82.7 million, suggesting growth of 4-5%, year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $82.4 million, indicating an increase of 4.5% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.Moreover, Appian expects non-GAAP net loss in the band of 13-15 cents per share. The consensus mark for loss has remained unchanged at 14 cents per share over the past 30 days.Notably, the company’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the preceding four quarters, the average earnings surprise being 69.3%.Appian Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Appian Corporation price-eps-surprise | Appian Corporation QuoteLet’s see how things have shaped up for this announcement.Factors to WatchAppian’s first-quarter performance is expected to reflect continued growth in subscription revenues. Cloud subscription revenues are projected in the range of $37.7 million to $38.2 million, suggesting year-over-year growth between 33% and 35%.Remarkably, in the fourth quarter of 2020, Appian’s cloud subscription revenue jumped 40% year over year to $36.9 million. In addition, as of Dec 31, 2020, Appian’s cloud subscription revenue retention rate was 119%.Moreover, steady demand for Appian’s low-code automation platform on the ongoing digital transformation, which has been further accelerated due to the pandemic, is likely to have been a major growth driver.Markedly, financial services and life sciences remained two of the largest industries for Appian. Robust adoption of the company’s solutions in these verticals is likely to have driven subscription revenues in the to-be-reported quarter as well.In addition, continued momentum in the company’s federal business is anticipated to have contributed to top-line growth in the soon-to-be-reported quarter.Furthermore, the top line is likely to have benefited from higher customer acceptance for Appian’s solutions, driven by contributions from a solid partner base.What Our Model IndicatesPer the Zacks model, the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here.Appian has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Stocks to ConsiderHere are a few companies worth considering, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings in their upcoming releases:Fair Isaac FICO has an Earnings ESP of +15.94% and is #2 Ranked. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Synaptics SYNA has an Earnings ESP of +1.60% and a Zacks Rank #2.Lumentum LITE has an Earnings ESP of +2.47% and is #3 Ranked.More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 77 billion devices by 2025, creating a $1.3 trillion market.Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 4 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2022.Click here for the 4 trades >>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 Synaptics Incorporated (SYNA): Free Stock Analysis Report Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO): Free Stock Analysis Report Lumentum Holdings Inc. (LITE): Free Stock Analysis Report Appian Corporation (APPN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research