Infinera Corp. INFN, a leading optical transport network developer, is slated to report third-quarter 2017 financial numbers on Nov 8, after closing bell.The company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the previous four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 4.65%.Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.Infinera Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Infinera Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Infinera Corporation QuoteFactors at PlayInfinera, headquartered in California, is a provider of Digital Optical Networking systems to telecommunications carriers, cable operators and other service providers worldwide.We are impressed with Infinera’s strategic business moves which include new launches and alliances. Different network service providers are merging with Infinera for the deployment of the Infinera Cloud Xpress both regionally and globally, to reach out to customers with higher scalability and reliability.Meanwhile, the company announced that Telxius, the global telecommunications infrastructure company created by Telefonica SA TEF, offers customers on-demand software-defined terabit capacity subsea service activation on Telxius’ SAM-1 subsea network in the United States, Brazil and Puerto Rico.Infinera’s decision to power cloud scale networks should boost its cloud suite. We believe that this will aid the company improve the top line in the to-be-reported quarter and lend it a competitive edge.However, stiff competition from peers like Lantronix, Inc. LTRX in the cut-throat digital optical networking market raises concerns and might hamper the company’s quarterly performance.Further, shares of Infinera declined 9.4% as against the industry’s gain of 8.0% in the past three months.Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show that Infinera 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 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, that is not the case here as elaborated below.Zacks ESP: Infinera has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at a loss of 16 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: Infinera has a Zacks Rank #3 which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, the company’s 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.Key PickHere is a company in the broader Computer and Technology sector— which houses Infinera — that has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.Facebook Inc FB is expected to release fourth-quarter 2017 results on Feb 7. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.12% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all of the previous four quarters, resulting in an average beat of 14.02%.Zacks' Hidden TradesWhile we share many recommendations and ideas with the public, certain moves are hidden from everyone but selected members of our portfolio services. Would you like to peek behind the curtain today and view them?Starting now, for the next month, I invite you to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time from value to momentum...from stocks under $10 to ETF to option movers...from insider trades to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises (we've called them with 80%+ accuracy). You can even look inside portfolios so exclusive that they are normally closed to new investors.Click here for Zacks' secret trade>>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 Infinera Corporation (INFN): Free Stock Analysis Report Facebook, Inc. (FB): Free Stock Analysis Report Telefonica SA (TEF): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research