SINA Corporation SINA is set to report first-quarter 2017 results on May 16. Last quarter, earnings of 27 cents was in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Notably, the company has a mixed earnings surprises track for the trailing four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 368.75%.Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement.Factors at PlaySINA has a strong product pipeline and is investing in product development and marketing. The company’s robust user base for its e-commerce and Weibo offerings are positives.We believe that SINA will benefit from the growth potential of e-commerce, e-banking, online payment and online entertainment services markets in China.Sina Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Sina Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Sina Corporation QuoteFurther, the booming gaming market in China is also a positive for the company. Shares of SINA have outperformed the Zacks categorized Internet Content industry. On a year-to-date basis shares of SINA have increased 35.2% compared with the industry's gain of 22%.We believe that Weibo’s monetization ability will be a major driving factor for SINA amid intensifying competition from the likes of Sohu.com Inc. SOHU and NetEase NTES in the video and brand advertising market.However, the company’s business is likely to be impacted by soft macroeconomic conditions in China. Also, significant restrictions on online search and other social-networking activities in the region remain concerns.Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not conclusively show that SINA is likely to beat earnings 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. That is not the case here as you will see below.Zacks ESP: SINA has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at a loss of 28 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: SINA has a Zacks Rank #3. Though Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 increases the predictive power of ESP, the company’s ESP of 0.00% 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.Stock to ConsiderHere’s a stock that you may want to consider as our model shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in its upcoming release.Applied Materials AMAT with an Earnings ESP of +1.32% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Best & Worst of ZacksToday you are invited to download the full, up-to-the-minute list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" free of charge. From 1988 through 2015 this list has averaged a stellar gain of +25% per year. Plus, you may download 220 Zacks Rank #5 "Strong Sells." Even though this list holds many stocks that seem to be solid, it has historically performed 6X worse than the market. See these critical buys and sells 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 Sina Corporation (SINA): Free Stock Analysis Report NetEase, Inc. (NTES): Free Stock Analysis Report Sohu.com Inc. (SOHU): Free Stock Analysis Report Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research