4 Stocks Poised to Pop on Earnings

International Speedway

One earnings short-squeeze play worth watching here is International Speedway (ISCA), an owner of motorsports entertainment facilities and promoter of motorsports-themed entertainment activities in the U.S., which is set to release numbers on Thursday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect International Speedway to report revenue of $127.35 million on earnings of 8 cents per share.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for International Speedway is rather high at 5.9%. That means that out of the 33.25 million shares in the tradable float, 1.51 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 14.8%, or by about 194,000 shares.

From a technical perspective, ISCA is currently trading above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock formed a bottoming chart pattern back in August at around $24.75 to $25 a share. Following that bottom, shares of ISCA soared and trended up to its recent high of $29.30 a share. During that spike higher, shares of ISCA were consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed ISCA within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're bullish on ISCA, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock can manage to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $29.30 to $30.64 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 155,631 shares. If ISCA can trigger that breakout, then this stock will have a great chance to re-test or possibly take out its next significant overhead resistance level at $32.04 a share.

I would avoid ISCA or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout, and then drops below some near-term support at $27.89 to $27 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then ISCA will setup to re-test or possibly take out both its 50-day at $26.78 and its 200-day at $26.92 a share.

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