One thing that always helps a stock get a solid boost is coming in and posting earnings and revenues that are better than the consensus numbers on Wall Street. That is especially if the company has either struggled some or is in a sector that is currently out of favor. A recent research note from Jefferies highlights four stocks that may very well have upside to current expectations.

Jefferies has circled four distinctively different companies that have the potential to beat the consensus views. With the third-quarter earnings season right around the corner, investors may want to rotate to one or all of these stocks. All are rated Buy at Jefferies.

AT&T

This company posted solid second-quarter numbers, and Jefferies thinks it could surprise next month as well. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has to be one of the most ignored dividend plays on Wall Street. In fact, it is the third most underweighted security, and the most under-owned by active fund managers, according to Wall Street data. While growth has been admittedly slower over the past few years, the company continues to expand its user base, and strong product introductions from smartphone vendors has not only driven traffic, but increased device financing plans, an area that many on Wall Street believe could lead to some earnings weakness.

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Many analysts feel that the DirecTV deal was a positive addition to the AT&T family for content distribution and cross-selling, and it is a good bet that the synergies created by the deal are being underestimated by Wall Street. Many analysts see upside to wireless margins, which were a positive earnings driver in the second quarter and are expected to continue through the rest of the year. Jefferies analysts recently met with the CEO and came away feeling the giant carrier is close to hitting on all cylinders.

AT&T investors are paid an outstanding 5.83% dividend. The Jefferies price target for the stock is $40, and the Thomson/First Call consensus estimate is $37. Shares closed Wednesday at $32.20.
Boeing

This top aerospace industrial has sold off recently and is offering investors a very solid entry point. Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) has been on a downward trend since late February and now may be ready to perk up. The company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight and launch systems and services worldwide.

Jefferies has increased confidence in continuing good demand, and notes that Boeing recently has made announcements that support the thesis that productivity and margins will continue to improve. 787 execution is good as the company works through the backlog, and cash flow looks to be strong with 787 deliveries and C-17 orders. Some Wall Street analysts also point to low oil prices as a bullish indicator for the top carriers, who are Boeing’s big customers. Plus, Boeing just announced a huge $38 billion deal with the Chinese to sell them 300 planes.

Boeing investors are paid a solid 2.72% dividend. The Jefferies price target is $185, and the consensus target is $164. The shares closed on Wednesday at $131.67.

NVIDIA

This top company has started to make waves in the virtual reality world. NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) supplies graphics processing technology for the 3D graphics market, including desktop graphics processors and gaming consoles. It is also moving into visual computing chips for cars, mobile devices and supercomputers. The company has a technology partnership with electric car maker Tesla, and it has been able to use its ability to leverage past investments, with a more controlled spending structure ahead on unified, which enables strong cash flow that is allowing a focus on capital return.

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While the bulk of NVIDIA’s intellectual property revenues come from a licensing agreement with Intel, and some analysts have been concerned about the company’s exposure to the declining personal computer market, much of the company’s revenue growth is in the gaming arena. In fact, it dominates the GPU (graphic processor) space. GPUs are heavily utilized in the PC gaming market. Jefferies points to this gaming-related growth as among the under-appreciated areas for the company.

Investors are paid a 1.95% dividend. The Jefferies price target is $30, above the consensus target of $23.85. The shares closed Wednesday at $23.

Vantiv

This company has a reasonably solid following on Wall Street, and Jefferies thinks it can beat current expectations. Vantiv Inc. (NYSE: VNTV) is a leading provider of payment processing services and related technology solutions for merchants and financial institutions of all sizes.

Acquisitions have vaulted Vantiv to the second slot among the nation’s largest payment processors. It had been the third-largest processor in the prior year, but it cranked out 28% growth in the number of merchant transactions it processed last year, according to a recent Nilson Report. Vantiv jumped ahead of Bank of America, but it still trails front-running First Data.

Jefferies met with management recently and came away feeling the estimates have upside potential, organic growth in merchant services are accelerating, as are margins, and stock buybacks should resume in the not too distant future.

The Jefferies price objective is $49, and the consensus target is $47.15. Shares closed most recently at $45.96.

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While there are no guarantees that any of these companies beat the street, the Jefferies team are doing the math, and their work indicates that based on expectations it is entirely possible. Even with an inline quarter, these stocks are all solid additions to a growth portfolio.

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