Iron Mountain Inc. IRM, a leading provider of data protection and information management services, is set to release its first quarter 2016 results on Apr 28. In the last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 1.79%. The company has posted an average negative earnings surprise of 2.97% over the past four quarters.Factors to ConsiderIron Mountain’s diversified revenue base is a positive. It is noteworthy that more than 95% of the Fortune 1000 companies are on Iron Mountain’s client list. In addition, its strong product portfolio, increasing market share, and promising international business are the primary growth catalysts. Moreover, the company’s entry into the data center market is likely to be a growth driver.Furthermore, the company had recommenced merger and acquisition activities since the fourth quarter. But the costs of such initiatives are expected to weigh on financials, especially as it already has a highly leveraged balance sheet. Additionally, Iron Mountain has already started preparations for the integration of Recall Holdings which might also have some negative impact on its financials in the to-be-reported quarter. The acquisition is expected to be closed by May 2, 2016.Also, volatile currency environment and competition from the likes of Cintas Corporation CTAS and others remain overhangs.Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not conclusively show that Iron Mountain is likely to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see belowZacks ESP: Iron Mountain’s Earnings ESP is 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at 48 cents.Zacks Rank: Iron Mountain has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which when combined with a 0.00% ESP, makes surprise prediction difficult.We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.Stocks to ConsiderHere are a couple of stocks that you may consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:Silicon Motion Technology Corp. (SIMO) with an Earnings ESP of +7.27% and a Zacks Rank #1.Himax Technologies, Inc. HIMX with an Earnings ESP of +16.67% and Zacks Rank #2Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>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 IRON MOUNTAIN (IRM): Free Stock Analysis Report HIMAX TECH-ADR (HIMX): Free Stock Analysis Report CINTAS CORP (CTAS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research