Exelon Corporation EXC is scheduled to release first-quarter 2021 earnings on May 5, before the market opens. This utility delivered an earnings surprise of 7.04% in the last reported quarter.Let’s see how things have shaped up before the upcoming earnings announcement.Factors to NoteExelon experienced operational issues in few of its plants on account of sustained cold temperature in its service territories during the first quarter. As a consequence, quarterly earnings are likely to have been adversely impacted.With the easing of restrictions, demand from commercial and industrial customers is expected to have improved from the low levels touched during the pandemic-induced shutdown. This is likely to have led to stable demand from the residential group. Moreover, this should positively impact first-quarter results.ExpectationsThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter revenues and earnings per share is pegged at $8.15 billion and 42 cents, respectively. The estimated figures indicate a decline of 51.7% and 6.8%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.What Our Quantitative Model PredictsOur proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Exelon this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is not the case here as you will see below.Exelon Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Exelon Corporation price-eps-surprise | Exelon Corporation QuoteEarnings ESP: The company’s Earnings ESP is -23.45%.You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: Currently, Exelon carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).Stocks to ConsiderInvestors can consider the following players from the same industry that have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the to-be-reported quarter.Avangrid Inc. AGR is slated to release first-quarter 2021 results on May 3. It has an Earnings ESP of +1.67% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.CenterPoint Energy CNP is slated to release first-quarter 2021 results on May 6. It has an Earnings ESP of +4.52% and a Zacks Rank #3.Duke Energy Corporation DUK is slated to release first-quarter 2021 results on May 10. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.16% and 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 CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP): Free Stock Analysis Report Exelon Corporation (EXC): Free Stock Analysis Report Duke Energy Corporation (DUK): Free Stock Analysis Report Avangrid, Inc. (AGR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research