PEAD ScreenerPEAD Screener - Post-Earnings Announcement Drift Scanner
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WHY EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS CREATE OPPORTUNITY
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The days immediately following an earnings announcement are among the noisiest periods for any stock. Within hours, the market must digest new information about a company's profits, revenue, and future outlook. Analysts scramble to update their models. Institutions rebalance positions. Retail traders react to headlines.
This chaos creates a well-documented phenomenon called Post-Earnings Announcement Drift (PEAD): stocks that beat expectations tend to keep rising, while those that miss tend to keep falling - often for weeks after the initial announcement. Academic research has confirmed this pattern persists across decades and markets.
But not every earnings surprise is equal. A company that beats estimates by 5 cents might move very differently than one that beats by 5 cents with unusually high volume, or one where both earnings AND revenue exceeded expectations. Raw numbers alone don't tell the full story.
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HOW "STANDARDIZED UNEXPECTED" METRICS CUT THROUGH THE NOISE
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This screener uses a statistical technique to measure how "surprising" a result truly is - not just whether it beat or missed, but how unusual that beat or miss was compared to the company's own history.
The core idea: convert raw surprises into Z-scores.
A Z-score answers the question: "How many standard deviations away from normal is this result?"
- A Z-score of 0 means the result was exactly average
- A Z-score of +2 means the result was unusually high (better than ~95% of historical results)
- A Z-score of -2 means the result was unusually low
By standardizing surprises this way, we can compare apples to apples. A small-cap biotech's $0.02 beat might actually be more significant than a mega-cap's $0.50 beat, once we account for each company's typical variability.
This screener applies this standardization to three dimensions: earnings (SUE), revenue (SURGE), and volume (SUV).
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THE 9 SCREENING CRITERIA
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1. SUE (Standardized Unexpected Earnings)
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WHAT IT IS:
SUE measures how surprising an earnings result was, adjusted for the company's historical forecast accuracy.
Calculation: Take the earnings surprise (actual EPS minus analyst estimate), then divide by the standard deviation of past forecast errors. This uses a rolling window of the last 8 quarters by default.
Formula: SUE = (Actual EPS - Estimated EPS) / Standard Deviation of Past Errors
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- SUE > +2.0: Strongly positive surprise - earnings beat expectations by an unusually large margin. These stocks often continue drifting higher.
- SUE between 0 and +2.0: Modest positive surprise - beat expectations, but within normal range.
- SUE between -2.0 and 0: Modest negative surprise - missed expectations, but within normal range.
- SUE < -2.0: Strongly negative surprise - significant miss. These stocks often continue drifting lower.
For long positions, look for SUE values above +2.0, ideally combined with positive SURGE.
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2. SURGE (Standardized Unexpected Revenue)
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WHAT IT IS:
SURGE applies the same standardization technique to revenue surprises. While earnings can be manipulated through accounting choices, revenue is harder to fake - it represents actual sales.
Calculation: Take the revenue surprise (actual revenue minus analyst estimate), then divide by the standard deviation of past revenue forecast errors.
Formula: SURGE = (Actual Revenue - Estimated Revenue) / Standard Deviation of Past Errors
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- SURGE > +1.5: Strongly positive revenue surprise - the company sold significantly more than expected.
- SURGE between 0 and +1.5: Modest positive surprise.
- SURGE < 0: Revenue missed expectations.
The most powerful signals occur when BOTH SUE and SURGE are positive and elevated (ideally SUE > 2.0 AND SURGE > 1.5). This indicates the company beat on both profitability AND top-line growth - a much stronger signal than either alone.
When SUE and SURGE diverge significantly (e.g., high SUE but negative SURGE), treat with caution - the earnings beat may have come from cost-cutting rather than genuine growth.
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3. SUV (Standardized Unexpected Volume)
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WHAT IT IS:
SUV detects unusual trading volume after accounting for how volatile the stock is. More volatile stocks naturally have higher volume, so raw volume comparisons can be misleading.
Calculation: This uses regression analysis to model the expected relationship between price volatility and volume. The "unexpected" volume is the residual - how much actual volume deviated from what the model predicted. This residual is then standardized into a Z-score.
In plain terms: SUV asks "Given how much this stock typically moves, is today's volume unusually high or low?"
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- SUV > +2.0: Exceptionally high volume relative to the stock's volatility. This often signals institutional activity - big players moving in or out.
- SUV between +1.0 and +2.0: Elevated volume - above normal interest.
- SUV between -1.0 and +1.0: Normal volume range.
- SUV < -1.0: Unusually quiet - less activity than expected.
High SUV combined with positive price movement suggests accumulation (buying). High SUV combined with negative price movement suggests distribution (selling).
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4. % From D0 Close
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WHAT IT IS:
This measures how far the current price has moved from the closing price on its initial earnings reaction day (D0). The "reaction day" is the first trading day that fully reflects the earnings news - typically the day after an after-hours announcement, or the announcement day itself for pre-market releases.
Calculation: ((Current Price - D0 Close) / D0 Close) × 100
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- Positive values: Stock has gained ground since earnings. The higher the percentage, the stronger the post-earnings drift.
- 0% to +5%: Modest positive drift - earnings were received well but momentum is limited.
- +5% to +15%: Strong drift - buyers continue accumulating.
- > +15%: Exceptional drift - significant institutional interest likely.
- Negative values: Stock has given back gains or extended losses since earnings. May indicate the initial reaction was overdone, or that sentiment is deteriorating.
This metric is most meaningful within the first 5-20 trading days after earnings. Extended drift (maintaining gains over 2+ weeks) is a stronger signal than a quick spike that fades.
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5. # Pocket Pivots
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WHAT IT IS:
Pocket Pivots are a volume-based pattern developed by Chris Kacher and Gil Morales. They identify days where institutional buyers are likely accumulating shares without causing obvious breakouts.
Calculation: A Pocket Pivot occurs when:
- The stock closes higher than it opened (up day)
- The stock closes higher than the previous day's close
- Today's volume exceeds the highest down-day volume of the prior 10 trading sessions
The screener counts how many Pocket Pivots have occurred since the earnings announcement.
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- 0 Pocket Pivots: No detected institutional accumulation patterns since earnings.
- 1-2 Pocket Pivots: Some institutional buying interest - worth monitoring.
- 3+ Pocket Pivots: Strong accumulation signal - institutions appear to be building positions.
Pocket Pivots are most significant when they occur:
- Immediately following earnings announcements
- Near moving average support (10-day, 21-day, or 50-day)
- On above-average volume
- After a period of price consolidation
Multiple Pocket Pivots in a short period suggest sustained institutional demand, not just a one-day event.
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6. ADX/DI (Trend Strength and Direction)
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WHAT IT IS:
ADX (Average Directional Index) measures trend strength regardless of direction. DI (Directional Indicator) shows whether the trend is bullish or bearish.
Calculation: ADX uses a 14-period lookback to measure how directional (trending) price movement is. Values range from 0 to 100. The +DI and -DI components compare upward and downward movement.
The screener shows:
- ADX value (trend strength)
- Direction indicator: "+" for bullish (price trending up), "-" for bearish (price trending down)
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- ADX < 20: Weak trend - the stock is moving sideways, choppy. Not ideal for momentum trading.
- ADX 20-25: Trend is emerging - potentially starting a directional move.
- ADX 25-40: Strong trend - clear directional movement. Good for momentum plays.
- ADX > 40: Very strong trend - powerful move in progress, but may be extended.
The direction indicator (+/-) tells you which way:
- "25+" means ADX of 25 with bullish direction (uptrend)
- "25-" means ADX of 25 with bearish direction (downtrend)
For post-earnings plays, ideal setups show ADX rising above 25 with positive direction, confirming the earnings reaction is developing into a sustained trend rather than a one-day spike.
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7. Institutional Buying PASS
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WHAT IT IS:
This proprietary composite indicator detects patterns consistent with institutional accumulation at three stages after earnings:
EARLY (Days 0-4): Looks for "large block" buying on the earnings reaction day (exceptionally high volume with a close in the upper half of the day's range) combined with follow-through buying on the next day.
MID (Days 5-9): Checks for sustained elevated volume (averaging 1.5x the 20-day average) combined with positive drift and consistent upward price movement (more up days than down days).
LATE (Days 10+): Detects either visible accumulation (positive drift with high volume) OR stealth accumulation (positive drift with unusually LOW volume - suggesting smart money is quietly building positions without attracting attention).
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- Check mark/value of '1': Institutional buying pattern detected. The stock shows characteristics consistent with large players accumulating shares.
- X mark/value of '0': No institutional buying pattern detected. This doesn't mean institutions aren't buying - just that the typical footprints aren't visible.
A passing grade here adds conviction to other bullish signals. Institutions have research teams, information advantages, and long time horizons. When their footprints appear in the data, it often precedes sustained moves.
Important: This is a pattern detection tool, not a guarantee. Always combine with other analysis.
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8. Strong ATR Drift PASS
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WHAT IT IS:
This measures whether the stock has drifted significantly relative to its own volatility. Instead of asking "did it move 10%?", it asks "did it move more than 1.5 ATRs?"
ATR (Average True Range) measures a stock's typical daily movement. A volatile stock might move 5% daily, while a stable stock might move 0.5%. Using ATR normalizes for this difference.
Calculation:
ATR Drift = (Current Close - D0 Close) / D0 ATR in dollars
The indicator passes when ATR Drift exceeds 1.5 AND at least 5 days have passed since earnings.
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- Check mark/value of '1': The stock has drifted more than 1.5 times its average daily range since earnings - a statistically significant move that suggests genuine momentum, not just noise.
- X mark/value of '0': The drift (if any) is within normal volatility bounds - could just be random fluctuation.
Why wait 5 days? The immediate post-earnings reaction (days 0-2) often includes gap fills and noise. By day 5, if the stock is still extended beyond 1.5 ATRs from the earnings close, it suggests real buying pressure, not just a reflexive gap.
A passing grade here helps filter out stocks that "beat earnings" but haven't actually moved meaningfully. It focuses attention on stocks where the market is voting with real capital.
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9. Days Since D0
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WHAT IT IS:
Simply counts the number of trading days since the earnings reaction day (D0).
HOW TO INTERPRET:
- Days 0-5 (Green): Fresh earnings - the information is new, institutional repositioning is active, and momentum trades are most potent. This is the "sweet spot" for PEAD strategies.
- Days 6-10 (Neutral): Mid-period - some edge remains but diminishing. Good for adding to winning positions, less ideal for new entries.
- Days 11+ (Red): Extended period - most of the post-earnings drift has typically played out. Higher risk that momentum fades or reverses.
Research shows PEAD effects are strongest in the first 5-10 days after earnings, then decay. Beyond 20-30 days, the informational advantage of the earnings surprise is largely priced in.
Use this to prioritize: focus on stocks with strong signals that are still in the early window, and be more selective about entries as days accumulate.
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PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
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You can use this screener in the chart view or in the Screener.
One combination of the above filters to develop a shortlist of positive drift candidates may be:
- SUE > 2.0 (significant earnings beat)
- SURGE > 1.5 (significant revenue beat)
- Positive % From D0 Close (price confirming the good news)
- Institutional Buying PASS (big players accumulating)
- Strong ATR Drift PASS (statistically significant movement)
- Days Since D0 < 10 (still in the active drift window)
No single indicator is sufficient. The power comes from convergence - when multiple independent measures all point the same direction.
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SETTINGS
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Key adjustable parameters:
- SUE Method: "Analyst-based" uses consensus estimates; "Time-series" uses year-over-year comparison
- Window Size: Number of quarters used for standardization (default: 8)
- ATR Drift Threshold: Minimum ATR multiple for "strong" classification (default: 1.5)
- Institutional Buying thresholds: Adjustable volume and CLV parameters
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DISCLAIMER
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This screener is a research tool, not financial advice. Past patterns do not guarantee future results. Always conduct your own due diligence and manage risk appropriately. Post-earnings trading involves significant uncertainty and volatility. The 'SUE' in this indicator does not represent a real person; any similarity to actual Sue's (or Susans for that matter) living or dead is quite frankly ridiculous, not to mention coincidental.
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