The AES Corporation AES is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2020 results on Feb 25, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, this utility delivered a negative earnings surprise of 2.33%.The company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate on two occasions and missed on the other two, with the average surprise being 0.76%.Let’s see how things have shaped up prior to this announcement.Factors to ConsiderDuring the fourth quarter, majority of AES Corp.’s service territories witnessed below normal cold temperatures, with some parts witnessing record snowfall. This is likely to have resulted in higher electricity demand and in turn increased household expenditure on heating, which is likely to have boosted AES Corp.'s fourth-quarter top line.The AES Corporation Price and EPS Surprise The AES Corporation price-eps-surprise | The AES Corporation QuoteThe company had projected its joint venture with Siemens, Fluence, to register solid 400% annual growth in revenues in 2020. We expect AES Corp.’s fourth-quarter results to partially benefit from this revenue growth.Further, recent customer growth observed in its digital platform, Uplight, which provides end-to-end, customer-centric, utility-related technology solutions, are also expected to have boosted its top-line performance in the soon-to-be-reported quarter.In line with these expectations, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $2.84 billion, which indicates a 16.9% rise from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.From the third quarter, with the gradual recovery of the economy, AES Corp. has started witnessing gradual demand improvement from its commercial and industrial customers. So, the impact of lower demand on its bottom line is expected to have been lower than previously projected.Also, higher contributions from the Southland repowering project as well as management’s cost-savings initiatives are expected to have benefited AES Corp.’s earnings in the soon-to-be-reported quarter.Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 45 cents, indicating an improvement of 28.6% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for AES Corp. this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat.Earnings ESP: The company’s Earnings ESP is -0.55%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: AES Corp. carries a Zacks Rank #3, currently. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Stocks to ConsiderHere are some stocks from the Utilities sector that are yet to release Q4 results and possess the right combination to deliver an earnings beat.South Jersey Industries SJI has an Earnings ESP of +1.72% and holds a Zacks Rank #3.Pacific Gas & Electric PCG has an Earnings ESP of +10.53% and carries a Zacks Rank #3.Sempra Energy SRE has an Earnings ESP of +6.45% and carries a Zacks Rank #3.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> 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 Sempra Energy (SRE): Free Stock Analysis Report The AES Corporation (AES): Get Free Report Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PCG): Free Stock Analysis Report South Jersey Industries, Inc. (SJI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research