Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW is scheduled to report third-quarter fiscal 2018 numbers on Nov 20, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, the company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.5%. However, in the trailing four quarters, this home improvement retailer missed the consensus mark by an average of 3.2%. Let’s see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement.How are Estimates Faring?The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter earnings is pegged at 99 cents, reflecting a decline of 5.7% from $1.05 reported in the year-ago quarter. Notably, the consensus mark has declined by 3 cents over the past 30 days. For revenues, the consensus mark stands at $17,331 million, up about 3.3% from the year-ago quarter’s tally.Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Lowe's Companies, Inc. QuoteWhich Factors Hold Key to Lowe's Performance?Lowe’s has been witnessing sturdy comparable sales (comps) growth, driven by well-chalked initiatives to drive sales across stores and in its online platform. In the second quarter of fiscal 2018 comps rose 5.2%, following a 0.6% increase in the first quarter. Encouragingly, management expects comps to continue increasing in the forthcoming periods. For fiscal 2018, the metric is anticipated to rise 3%.Notably, robust comps were buoyed by strong digital presence. During the second quarter, the company registered 18% comps growth on Lowes.com. Management also continues to augment omni-channel capabilities and enhance consumers’ digital shopping experience. In this respect, the company plans on optimizing search capabilities that will aid in planning assortments effectively.These apart, Lowe’s is streamlining its store portfolio and enhancing customer shopping experience with advanced technology and inventory rationalizing to generate incremental sales. In addition, management is on track with its strategies to intensify customer engagement through improved personalized marketing and digital promotions. We expect such upsides to boost the upcoming quarterly results.On the flip side, we note that the company’s plans to exit Orchard Supply Hardware business and efforts to rationalize inventory levels weighed on its outlook for fiscal 2018. This raises concerns regarding the company’s performance in the impending quarter as well. Additionally, Lowe’s has been witnessing adverse product mix shifts and higher transportation costs. Moreover, threats emerging from cannibalization and stiff competition cannot be ignored.What the Zacks Model UnveilsOur proven model does not conclusively show that Lowe’s is likely to beat earnings estimates 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. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Although Lowe’s has a Zacks Rank #3, its Earnings ESP of -1.11% makes surprise prediction difficult.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.Burlington Stores (BURL) has an Earnings ESP of +2.38% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.L Brands (LB) has an Earnings ESP of +35.25% and a Zacks Rank #2.American Eagle (AEO) has an Earnings ESP of +2.95% and a Zacks Rank #2.3 Medical Stocks to Buy NowThe greatest discovery in this century of biology is now at the flashpoint between theory and realization. Billions of dollars in research have poured into it. Companies are already generating revenue, and cures for a variety of deadly diseases are in the pipeline.So are big potential profits for early investors. Zacks has released an updated Special Report that explains this breakthrough and names the best 3 stocks to ride it.See them 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 Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.