Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

CEO Peter Beck just spent approximately $8 billion to buy a satellite phone company. Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB | RKLB Price Prediction) is on a 16% weekly gain since the acquisition of Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM) hit the tape. The pitch is that this deal turns Rocket Lab into a full-stack space operator capable of taking market share from SpaceX and Amazon Leo.

Why Beck says one plus one equals three On CNBC this week, Beck framed the deal as a category shift rather than a bolt-on. “The truly large space companies of the future are going to look a little bit blurry,” he said, “are they a space company? Are they a communications company or something else?” Rocket Lab already builds rockets, satellites, solar arrays, and reaction wheels. Iridium brings the missing floor of the stack, an operating LEO constellation with over 2.55 million active subscribers across commercial, government, defense, aviation, and maritime customers.

Beck’s math is that stapling those together creates something worth more than the parts. “One plus one doesn’t equal two. It actually equals three,” he told CNBC, describing the result as a self-launching constellation and company. Iridium arrives with a fresh constellation, real cash flow, and a partner ecosystem of over 500 integrators, which makes the integration risk far lower than a typical space M&A story.

Spectrum is the whole game now The strategic tell is what Beck kept returning to. “Spectrum is incredibly important and very, very rare,” he said, and without it, satellites and rockets are “all for nothing.” Iridium sits on globally coordinated L-band spectrum, which is functionally impossible to replicate through auction. That is the same logic driving the rest of the sector. Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is acquiring Globalstar to power Amazon Leo direct-to-device services for Apple devices and Vodafone customers, and SpaceX bought EchoStar for the same reason. Three companies, three spectrum grabs, one thesis.

Iridium holders are getting $54 per share in cash and stock, which explains the 24.21% one-week move in IRDM to $56.08. The company was already a cash-generative telecom with 2026 OEBITDA guidance of $480 million to $490 million, so this is a premium paid for spectrum and subscribers.

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The Rocket Lab fundamentals underneath the bet Beck is making this bet from a position of strength. Rocket Lab posted Q1 2026 revenue of $200.3 million, growing 63.5% year over year, with non-GAAP gross margin expanding to 43.0% from 33.4% a year earlier. Backlog sits at $2.2 billion, and per the Q1 earnings release filed with the SEC, the company exited the quarter with access to more than $2 billion in liquidity through its at-the-market equity offering. That funded the Iridium bid.

The Neutron rocket, Beck’s direct answer to SpaceX Falcon 9, is tracking to a debut launch later in 2026, with the reusable Hungry Hippo fairing system already qualified. Add the completed Mynaric acquisition for laser optical communications and the pending Motiv Space Systems deal for robotics, and the vertical-integration story looks serious. Rocket Lab was also selected for the Department of War’s Space Based Interceptor program under Golden Dome for America with Raytheon, a program that gives the launch and satellite business a defense annuity underneath the commercial ambition.

What retail is telling you Reddit’s r/stocks lit up around the announcement. The deal-announcement thread pulled 373 upvotes at a 0.94 upvote ratio, and sentiment on RKLB flipped from a bearish 32 on June 24 to a very bullish 85 by July 1. Retail investors clearly bought the vertical-integration story before institutions had time to update their models.

The remaining question is execution. Rocket Lab is up 191% over the last year and still down 32% from its May peak, which is the volatility you get when a launch company becomes a telecom. Beck’s investor relations page is where the integration timeline will live. If the ‘1+1=3’ math shows up in cash flow rather than just slide decks, the SpaceX comparison stops being aspirational.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Terreno Realty Corporation (NYSE: TRNO), an acquirer, owner and operator of industrial real estate in six major coastal U.S. markets, announced today that it ha

For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both.

Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? Developed alongside the Zacks Rank, the Zacks Style Scores are a group of complementary indicators that help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreValue investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS - Free Report) DICK’S Sporting Goods Inc. was founded in 1948 in New York under the labels Dick's Clothing and Sporting Goods, Inc. It was earlier reincorporated as a Delaware corporation and changed our name to Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. in April 1999. The company’s executive office is located in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.

DKS is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

It also boasts a Value Style Score of B thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 16.14; value investors should take notice.

Six analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2027. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.00 to $14.24 per share. DKS boasts an average earnings surprise of +0.9%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, DKS should be on investors' short list.

Space stopped being a government-only game years ago. It’s now a real, investable industry – satellites beaming broadband to ships and planes, earth-imaging companies selling data to farms and defense contractors, and launch providers racing to put more payloads into orbit than ever before.

SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO has pulled a lot of new eyes into the sector this year. And the follow-up question a lot of investors are now asking is a smart one: what are the best space stocks to buy now if you want exposure without betting everything on a single name?

This piece walks through what space stocks actually are, the strongest names heading into the second half of 2026, how to buy them, and which space ETF options let you spread the risk rather than pick individual winners.

What Are Space Stocks?The Best Space Stocks to Buy in 2026The space sector has never had more publicly traded names worth paying attention to – and the SpaceX IPO has only accelerated that conversation. But not every space stock is built the same way. Some are pure-play growth bets riding next-generation technology with no profits yet. Others are decades-old defense primes that happen to build satellites on the side. And a few sit somewhere in between, pivoting from launch providers into full-stack space platforms.

The listed stocks below cover that full spectrum – from high-risk, high-upside plays to steadier, dividend-paying anchors. Understanding what each company actually does, and where it sits on the risk curve, is the starting point for figuring out which ones belong in your portfolio.

Rocket Lab (RKLB)Rocket Lab built its name on the Electron rocket, launching small satellites with a reliability and cadence that no competitor at that size could match. Now it’s making a much bigger move.

Rocket Lab recently announced an $8 billion acquisition of Iridium Communications – a cash-and-stock deal that gives it a profitable, recurring-revenue satellite network with over 2.55 million subscribers across government, defense, aviation, and maritime markets. That’s a major strategic shift: instead of being purely a launch provider, Rocket Lab is building toward being a vertically integrated space platform with real cash flow attached.

As of July 1, RKLB is trading around $104, with a market cap of approximately $60 billion and a 52-week range between $33.73 and $151.00 – a range that tells you everything you need to know about the volatility here. Wall Street is broadly bullish, with 14 buy ratings, 4 holds, and zero sells from analysts covering the stock. RKLB trades on the NASDAQ.

AST SpaceMobile (ASTS)AST SpaceMobile is trying to do something genuinely novel: build a satellite network that connects directly to ordinary smartphones – no special hardware, no satellite phone, just your existing device. If it works at scale, the addressable market is essentially every person on earth who’s ever had a dropped call.

Planet Labs (PL)Planet Labs runs the largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites in the world, founded in 2010 by three former NASA scientists. It’s less flashy than ASTS or RKLB – it doesn’t launch rockets or pitch dead-zone elimination – but it has something most space stocks don’t: customers who actually need what it sells right now.

The company posted record annual revenue of $308 million, with contracted backlog up 79% year-over-year to more than $900 million. Planet Labs stock is up 37% year to date, and it’s a major holding across multiple space ETFs precisely because daily satellite imagery has become critical infrastructure for agriculture, defense, and disaster response. PL is currently trading around $29 on the NYSE.

Lockheed Martin (LMT)Lockheed is the closest thing to a “safe” space stock on this list. Its space division builds GPS III satellites, the Orion crew capsule for NASA’s Artemis program, and missile warning systems – all backed by one of the largest defense balance sheets in the world. You won’t get explosive upside here, but you get steady, diversified exposure to government space spending without the volatility that comes with the pure-play names. LMT trades on the NYSE.

Northrop Grumman (NOC)Northrop is best known in space circles as the prime contractor behind the James Webb Space Telescope, alongside solid rocket motor production and space logistics vehicles. Like Lockheed, it’s a defense prime rather than a growth story – but it offers reliable exposure to long-cycle government space contracts for investors who want the sector without the wild price swings. NOC trades on the NYSE.

Pros and Cons of Space StocksPros:Cons:Space ETFs: The Diversified RouteETFs pool investor money to buy a basket of stocks, trading on an exchange just like an individual stock. They exist precisely to solve the problem this sector creates – picking individual space stocks means accepting concentrated, single-company risk. The SPAC wave of 2021 taught investors a painful lesson about that when names like Astra and Momentus lost 80–90% of their value.

A few options stand out for 2026:

Procure Space ETF (UFO) is the most concentrated pure-play option, weighting satellite operators and launch companies heavily – including Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile.

ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (ARKX) takes an actively managed approach under Cathie Wood’s team, mixing space names with broader “space-adjacent” robotics and data plays, though its returns have generally lagged the more concentrated pure-play funds.

For investors who want defense-anchored stability blended in, iShares Aerospace & Defense (ITA) and SPDR S&P Kensho Final Frontiers (ROKT) combine primes like Lockheed and Northrop with smaller space names – trading steadier growth for lower volatility.

Bottom LineWhichever route you choose, go in expecting volatility. This is still a fast-moving, early-stage industry – and that’s exactly what makes it interesting.

FAQsWhat are the best space stocks right now?

Rocket Lab (RKLB) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) for growth and upside, Planet Labs (PL) for earth-imaging data revenue, and Lockheed Martin (LMT) or Northrop Grumman (NOC) for steadier, defense-backed exposure.

Which space companies are publicly traded?

Rocket Lab, AST SpaceMobile, Planet Labs, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are all publicly traded. SpaceX joined them in June 2026 after its IPO.

Are space stocks worth investing in?

For investors comfortable with volatility, yes – the sector has real and growing revenue backlog and genuine technological progress. For risk-averse investors, the swings in smaller names can be brutal, and an ETF may be a smarter fit than picking individual stocks.

Is Rocket Lab a good investment in 2026?

It has strong momentum, a fresh $8 billion Iridium acquisition that brings real cash flow, and broad analyst support. But the stock has also been extremely volatile, swinging 40-50% in both directions within months. How much volatility you can stomach will ultimately shape whether RKLB belongs in your portfolio.

Benzinga Disclaimer: This article is from an unpaid external contributor. It does not represent Benzinga’s reporting and has not been edited for content or accuracy.

© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock.

Over the past month, shares of this company have returned +7%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.4% change. During this period, the Zacks Financial - Investment Bank industry, which Interactive Brokers falls in, has gained 8.5%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?

Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision.

Earnings Estimate RevisionsHere at Zacks, we prioritize appraising the change in the projection of a company's future earnings over anything else. That's because we believe the present value of its future stream of earnings is what determines the fair value for its stock.

Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements.

For the current quarter, Interactive Brokers is expected to post earnings of $0.59 per share, indicating a change of +15.7% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.46 points to a change of +12.3% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has remained unchanged.

For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.82 indicates a change of +14.6% from what Interactive Brokers is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has remained unchanged.

With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Interactive Brokers.

The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Revenue Growth ForecastEven though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial.

For Interactive Brokers, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $1.66 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +12.2%. For the current and next fiscal years, $6.9 billion and $7.77 billion estimates indicate +12.1% and +12.5% changes, respectively.

Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryInteractive Brokers reported revenues of $1.68 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +20.3%. EPS of $0.6 for the same period compares with $0.47 a year ago.

Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.71 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of -1.91%. The EPS surprise was -3.23%.

Over the last four quarters, Interactive Brokers surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period.

ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.

Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is.

As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.

Interactive Brokers is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.

Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Interactive Brokers. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFor value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.

Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.

A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Zimmer Biomet (ZBH - Free Report) Headquartered in Warsaw, IN, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. is a leading musculoskeletal healthcare company that designs, manufactures and markets orthopedic reconstructive products; sports medicine, biologics, extremities and trauma products; spine, bone healing, craniomaxillofacial and thoracic products; dental implants; and related surgical products. With operations in over 25 countries, Zimmer markets products in more than 100 countries.

ZBH is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

It also boasts a Value Style Score of B thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 9.93; value investors should take notice.

One analyst revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.01 to $8.48 per share. ZBH also boasts an average earnings surprise of +4.9%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, ZBH should be on investors' short list.

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.

Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum traders and investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreIf you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.

Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Expedia (EXPE - Free Report) Bellevue, Washington-based Expedia Group, Inc. is one of the largest online travel companies in the world. The company’s web portals focus on travel planning, travel purchases and travel experience sharing thus bringing suppliers and consumers of travel-related services together.

EXPE is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. EXPE has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 24.4% for the current fiscal year.

Seven analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.50 to $19.73 per share. EXPE also boasts an average earnings surprise of +13.9%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, EXPE should be on investors' short list.

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

© PeopleImages / Shutterstock.com

Most bucket-list goals come with a price tag. Taking classes, hosting a family reunion, funding a scholarship for a grandchild, visiting your ancestors’ hometown in the Old Country, or finally seeing the Northern Lights all require money. Whatever form they take, the challenge is the same: how do you fund meaningful goals and experiences while you still have the energy without putting the rest of your retirement at risk?

The usual approach is to save the money, spend it, and start over. A different approach is to build a portfolio that generates the cash flow for those experiences year after year while leaving the principal intact. The math is surprisingly straightforward.

The Cost Of Postponing Time matters as much as money. Some bucket-list goals become harder, more expensive, or less appealing as the years pass. Travel is the obvious example. Hiking trips, safaris, scuba certification, and other physically demanding adventures are often easier at 65 than at 80. But the same principle applies elsewhere. Grandchildren grow up. Old friends move away or pass on. The memoir remains unwritten. The workshop stays on the drawing board. The volunteer work, language classes, and family reunion keep getting pushed into “someday.”

Building the portfolio is only half the challenge. The other half is recognizing that some opportunities have expiration dates. A healthy retirement plan balances financial readiness with the reality that not every dream should wait for the perfect account balance.

Three Bucket-List Budgets, Four Yield Tiers Bucket-list spending generally falls into three broad tiers.

$5,000 a year covers goals such as a family reunion, a woodworking-shop upgrade, genealogy research, community-college classes, a mission trip, a photography hobby, or a domestic vacation. $10,000 a year funds larger ambitions such as an Alaskan cruise, a classic-car restoration, an RV adventure, a major home project, or taking the entire family on a memorable trip. $20,000 a year reaches once-in-a-lifetime goals such as an African safari, a Northern Lights expedition, purchasing an RV, funding a scholarship for grandchildren, spending a season in a warmer climate, or pursuing several major goals at once. Here’s the capital required to throw off each income from yield alone:

Annual Spend 3.5% yield 5% yield 7% yield 10% yield $5,000 $143,000 $100,000 $71,000 $50,000 $10,000 $286,000 $200,000 $143,000 $100,000 $20,000 $571,000 $400,000 $286,000 $200,000 The Evidence Across Tiers The conservative tier looks like Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ | JNJ Price Prediction), yielding 2.2% after a 3.1% dividend hike to $1.34 quarterly, its 64th consecutive year of increases, alongside Southern Company (NYSE:SO) at 3.2% with regulated utility cash flows and data-center demand tailwinds.

The moderate tier features Realty Income (NYSE:O) at 5.3% paid monthly, Verizon (NYSE:VZ) at 6.0%, and Altria at 6.1%. Add preferred shares and 10-year Treasuries in the 4% to 5% range for ballast.

The aggressive tier centers on business development companies like Ares Capital at 10.6%, where a $412M net unrealized loss in Q1 2026 illustrates the principal-erosion risk you accept for that headline yield.

Why Growth Beats Headline Yield A 3.5% yield growing 8% annually, the pace Johnson & Johnson has roughly sustained over its 64-year streak, doubles the income inside nine years. A flat 10% BDC payout often shrinks in real terms as net asset value erodes. Cruise fares and safari prices climb 4% to 6% a year. Income that grows is the only income that keeps the bucket list intact at 80.

Don’t Save So Hard That You Miss The Point A bucket list is not an all-or-nothing proposition. The dream RV trip can begin with weekend camping. The European tour can start with learning a foreign language and interacting with people from those cultures in restaurants and at cultural presentations at a local university. The family reunion, photography hobby, language class, or genealogy project does not have to wait until the entire goal is funded.

Small experiences build momentum and create memories while the larger fund grows. They also acknowledge a simple reality: tomorrow is not guaranteed. A healthy retirement plan balances preparation for future dreams with the wisdom to enjoy life within your means today.

What To Do Next Pick a realistic bucket-list budget based on trips you genuinely want to take, then read the capital figure off the table above. Blend tiers. A 50/30/20 mix across conservative dividend growers, REITs and telecoms, and a small BDC sleeve typically lands between 5% and 6% with meaningful dividend growth attached. Model the next 10 years of distributions assuming 6% annual travel inflation, and compare a growing 3.5% portfolio against a flat 10% portfolio at year 10. The crossover usually arrives sooner than expected. Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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Key Takeaways EMCOR raised 2026 revenue and EPS guidance amid strong demand across infrastructure end markets.EME ended Q1 2026 with record remaining performance obligations of $15.62B, up 32.9% year over year.EME continues investing through selective acquisitions while supporting growth with a strong balance sheet. EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME - Free Report) is currently trading below the Zacks Building Products - Heavy Construction industry, with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 25.86, but above the broader Zacks Construction sector. The industry’s average currently is 26.35, while the sector’s valuation is 21.59.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

This Connecticut-based infrastructure service provider continues to trade below its industry, despite what its durable earnings growth, execution capabilities and cash-generation profile suggest. This reflects that the market may not be fully pricing in EMCOR's multi-year growth runway and resilient business model. Currently, the company is benefiting from powerful secular growth drivers, including AI-driven data center construction, cloud infrastructure expansion, public infrastructure modernization, healthcare upgrades, water and wastewater investments, and advanced manufacturing projects.

Moreover, these trends have fueled record growth in backlog and prompted management to raise its 2026 revenue and earnings guidance, supporting strong long-term visibility. Although margin pressures from large contracts, acquisition integration risks, macroeconomic pressures and uncertainties in federal infrastructure spending are looming over EME, the ongoing growth-supporting aspects are more than likely to beat the odds in the upcoming term.

In the past six months, EME stock has gained 23.1%, underperforming the industry but outperforming the sector and the S&P 500 Index, as evidenced by the chart below.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Let’s decode the factors backing EMCOR stock’s growth prospects in the upcoming terms.

Favorable Infrastructure Trends & Long-Term GrowthEMCOR continues to benefit from favorable macroeconomic and structural trends that are driving demand across public and private infrastructure markets. Federal and state investments in water infrastructure, transportation, healthcare modernization, institutional facilities and energy-related projects are creating a healthy pipeline of opportunities. At the same time, AI-driven data center expansion and broader digital transformation continue to fuel commercial construction demand.

Management noted sustained momentum across several key end markets with no meaningful slowdown in customer spending, particularly in mission-critical projects. Reflecting this confidence, EMCOR raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $18.5-$19.25 billion from $17.75-$18.5 billion and increased its EPS guidance to $28.25-$29.75 from $27.25-$29.25 expected earlier. Supported by disciplined project selection, execution capabilities and broad market diversification, the company appears well-positioned to capitalize on multi-year infrastructure investment trends.

Record Backlog & Data Center InvestmentsEMCOR's record remaining performance obligations (RPOs) of $15.62 billion as of March 31, 2026, were up 32.9% year over year and nearly 18% sequentially, providing exceptional visibility into future revenue generation. RPOs in the construction segments highlighted contributions of $8.56 billion in U.S. mechanical construction and $5.61 billion in U.S. electrical construction, with additional contributions from building services. Backlog growth was broad-based, with notable gains in network and communications, healthcare, institutional, and water and wastewater markets. The network and communications segment remains a standout growth engine, supported by unprecedented investments in AI infrastructure, cloud computing and digital transformation.

Management emphasized that it continues to see no signs of slowing demand as customers expand data center capacity and adopt advanced liquid cooling technologies. EMCOR is also broadening its geographic footprint and service offerings to capture additional opportunities. Combined with diversified end markets, the record backlog strengthens confidence in sustained revenue growth over the coming years.

Disciplined Acquisition StrategyStrategic acquisitions remain an important pillar of EMCOR's long-term growth strategy, complementing its strong organic expansion. The company's acquisition of Miller Electric has strengthened its electrical construction capabilities, expanded its geographic presence and increased exposure to attractive end markets such as data centers and advanced manufacturing. Management continues to pursue acquisitions selectively, focusing on businesses that enhance technical expertise, broaden customer relationships and fit EMCOR's decentralized operating model. Rather than pursuing scale for its own sake, EMCOR prioritizes disciplined capital deployment and integration, preserving its operational culture while creating cross-selling opportunities across its construction and services platforms. This measured acquisition strategy enables the company to strengthen competitive positioning, diversify revenue streams and support sustainable earnings growth without materially compromising profitability or financial flexibility.

Strong Balance Sheet & Shareholder ApproachEMCOR maintains one of the strongest balance sheets in the engineering and construction industry, providing ample financial flexibility to fund growth initiatives while rewarding shareholders. The company ended the first quarter of 2026 with approximately $916 million in cash and about $1.25 billion in working capital, supporting organic investments, strategic acquisitions and operational needs. Management expects full-year 2026 operating cash flow to remain broadly in line with net income, reflecting the underlying strength of the business despite quarterly working-capital fluctuations.

EME complements its financial strength with a balanced capital allocation strategy that combines disciplined acquisitions with consistent shareholder returns through dividends and share repurchases. This long-term approach has supported years of value creation while preserving the flexibility to invest in future growth opportunities as market conditions evolve.

EMCOR’s ROE PositionEMCOR’s superior return on equity (ROE) indicates its growth potential. It provides solid investment returns relative to the industry average, as reflected in its current trailing 12-month ROE of 35.19%. This compares favorably with the industry's ROE of 22.65%. The factor mentioned above indicates the company’s efficiency in using its shareholders’ funds, along with its ability to generate profit with minimum capital usage.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

EME vs Peers: Who Wins the Infrastructure Race?EMCOR, alongside Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (FIX - Free Report) , Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR - Free Report) and MasTec, Inc. (MTZ - Free Report) , continues to benefit from powerful infrastructure spending trends, but EME appears particularly well-positioned due to its diversified exposure across data centers, healthcare, institutional, water and wastewater, manufacturing and building services.

While Comfort Systems is also capitalizing on AI-driven data center demand, its operations are more concentrated in mechanical contracting. Meanwhile, Quanta enjoys strong utility and power transmission tailwinds, whereas MasTec remains more exposed to energy, communications and large infrastructure projects that can be more cyclical. Although Quanta, Comfort Systems and MasTec each possess attractive long-term opportunities, EME’s broader end-market diversification, operational discipline and balanced capital allocation provide a competitive edge, positioning it to deliver more resilient earnings growth across varying economic cycles.

Earnings Estimate Revision of EMEEME’s earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027 have moved upward in the past 30 days to $29.37 per share and $32.83 per share, respectively. The revised estimates for 2026 and 2027 imply year-over-year growth of 13.5% and 11.8%, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Should Investors Dive Into EMCOR Stock Now?EMCOR presents a compelling investment opportunity for investors seeking exposure to long-term U.S. infrastructure spending. The benefits from strong secular tailwinds, including AI-driven data center construction, healthcare modernization, water infrastructure upgrades and advanced manufacturing investments, are encouraging. Besides, EME’s disciplined acquisition strategy, robust balance sheet, healthy cash generation and shareholder-friendly capital allocation further reinforce its long-term growth profile. Additionally, its diversified end-market exposure reduces dependence on any single sector, enhancing earnings resilience across economic cycles.

While macroeconomic uncertainty, margin pressures on large projects and acquisition integration remain risks, EME stock’s forward P/E multiple below the industry average suggests its long-term growth potential is not fully reflected in its valuation.

Analysts’ optimism regarding EME stock is reflected in seven of eleven recommendations, pointing to a "Strong Buy”, representing 63.6% of all recommendations.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Thus, backed by a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), EMCOR stock appears attractively positioned, making the stock worth buying at current levels rather than waiting for a better entry opportunity. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Key Takeaways BWXT invested $4.1 million in R&D during the first quarter of 2026.BWXT advances nuclear fuel, reactor technologies and precision manufacturing through innovation.BWXT uses R&D to strengthen competitiveness across defense and commercial nuclear markets. BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT - Free Report) continues investing in research and development (R&D) to strengthen its advanced nuclear technologies, manufacturing capabilities and long-term product portfolio. During the three months ended March 31, 2026, the company invested $4.1 million in R&D, reflecting its continued focus on innovation across naval nuclear propulsion, advanced reactor technologies, nuclear fuel and precision manufacturing.

Continued investment in R&D supports BWXT's efforts to enhance existing technologies while developing next-generation nuclear solutions. The company's research activities focus on improving nuclear components, fuel technologies, manufacturing processes and engineering capabilities that support both current government programs and future commercial opportunities. These investments help strengthen BWXT's technological expertise while boosting long-term competitiveness.

R&D also complements BWX Technologies’ long-term growth strategy by enabling product innovation and operational improvements across multiple nuclear markets. Continued technological advancement positions BWXT to address evolving customer requirements while expanding opportunities in defense, commercial nuclear and advanced reactor applications. This diversified innovation strategy supports sustainable long-term growth.

As demand for advanced nuclear technologies continues to increase, innovation is expected to remain a key competitive advantage. BWXT's continued investment in research and development reinforces its ability to support future nuclear programs while strengthening its leadership across the industry.

Companies Investing in Nuclear R&DNuclear companies continue increasing investments in research and development to advance reactor technologies, nuclear fuels and next-generation energy solutions. Companies like NuScale Power Corporation (SMR - Free Report) and Oklo Inc. (OKLO - Free Report) are also expanding R&D efforts in this area.

NuScale Power invested $12.8 million in R&D during the three months ended March 31, 2026, supporting the advancement of its small modular reactor technology.

Oklo invested $27 million in R&D during the three months ended March 31, 2026, aiding the development of its advanced fast reactor technology, fuel recycling capabilities and next-generation nuclear energy systems.

Earnings Estimates for BWXT StockThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 and 2027 earnings per share suggests year-over-year growth of 14.71% and 13.90%, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

BWXT Stock Is Trading at a DiscountBWX Technologies is trading at a discount relative to the industry, with a forward 12-month price-to-sales of 4.42X compared with the industry average of 13.54X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

BWXT Stock Price PerformanceOver the past year, BWXT shares have rallied 33.8% compared with the industry’s 22.1% growth.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

BWXT’s Zacks RankBWX Technologies currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.

The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.

Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? Developed alongside the Zacks Rank, the Zacks Style Scores are a group of complementary indicators that help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreValue investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.

VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.

It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: American Financial Group (AFG - Free Report) Founded in 1872 and headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, American Financial Group, Inc. is a holding company which, through its subsidiaries, engages primarily in property and casualty insurance, with focus on specialized commercial products for businesses. The company also engages in the sale of traditional fixed, fixed-indexed and variable-indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions, registered investment advisor and education markets.

AFG is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Momentum investors should take note of this Finance stock. AFG has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 9.2% over the past four weeks.

For fiscal 2026, three analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.39 to $11.37 per share. AFG boasts an average earnings surprise of +7.3%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, AFG should be on investors' short list.

The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. MYR Group (MYRG - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.

MYR Group is a member of our Utilities group, which includes 111 different companies and currently sits at #11 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. MYR Group is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MYRG's full-year earnings has moved 27.2% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the most recent data, MYRG has returned 112% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Utilities sector has returned an average of 6% on a year-to-date basis. This means that MYR Group is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Utilities stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is NextEra Energy (NEE - Free Report) . The stock has returned 7.6% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for NextEra Energy's current year EPS has increased 0.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, MYR Group belongs to the Electric Construction industry, a group that includes 2 individual companies and currently sits at #6 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 63.6% this year, meaning that MYRG is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, NextEra Energy belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry. This 63-stock industry is currently ranked #107. The industry has moved +7.5% year to date.

MYR Group and NextEra Energy could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

, /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against ChampionX Corporation ("ChampionX" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: CHX). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at [email protected] or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. 

The class action concerns whether ChampionX and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. 

You have until July 14, 2026, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired ChampionX securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]  

A Complaint has filed on behalf of investors who sold ChampionX common stock during the Class Period, alleging that the defendants failed to disclose material information, which artificially deflated the price of ChampionX common stock. 

Per the allegations of the Complaint, on February 29, 2024, ChampionX received an unsolicited non-public offer from Schlumberger Limited to purchase all the outstanding shares of ChampionX for $36.70 per share.  On March 7, 2024, Schlumberger raised its offer to $37.80 per share.  The ChampionX class action lawsuit alleges that while these offers were on the table and unknown to the investing public, ChampionX was repurchasing its common stock at market prices significantly below the prices offered by Schlumberger.  ChampionX had an obligation to disclose that it had received a formal acquisition offer from Schlumberger or abstain from purchasing ChampionX stock from unsuspecting investors. 

During the Class Period, ChampionX's average stock price was $33.32 per share.  On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, during pre-market hours, ChampionX disclosed the merger with Schlumberger.  The merger eventually closed on July 16, 2025, with Schlumberger acquiring ChampionX for $40.58 per share.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. 

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.  

CONTACT:
Danielle Peyton
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
646-581-9980 ext. 7980 

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

, /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Commvault Systems, Inc. ("Commvault" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: CVLT). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at [email protected] or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. 

The class action concerns whether Commvault and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. 

You have until July 17, 2026, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired Commvault securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com.   

[Click here for information about joining the class action]  

On January 27, 2026, Commvault reported its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 and revealed ARR growth below the Company's prior guidance.  In particular, ARR growth for the quarter was only $39 million, which fell short of the Company's $45 million guidance. 

On this news, Commvault's stock price fell $40.23 per share, or 31.1%, to close at $89.13 per share on January 27, 2026.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. 

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.  

CONTACT:
Danielle Peyton
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
646-581-9980 ext. 7980 

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

The Conglomerates group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Griffon (GFF - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Conglomerates peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Griffon is one of 27 individual stocks in the Conglomerates sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #14 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Griffon is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GFF's full-year earnings has moved 0.2% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, GFF has gained about 25.4% so far this year. In comparison, Conglomerates companies have returned an average of 6.6%. This means that Griffon is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

One other Conglomerates stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Marubeni Corp. (MARUY - Free Report) . The stock is up 6.7% year-to-date.

In Marubeni Corp.'s case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 2.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Griffon belongs to the Diversified Operations industry, a group that includes 27 individual companies and currently sits at #175 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 6.6% so far this year, meaning that GFF is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Marubeni Corp. is also part of the same industry.

Going forward, investors interested in Conglomerates stocks should continue to pay close attention to Griffon and Marubeni Corp. as they could maintain their solid performance.

© Quality Stock Arts / Shutterstock.com

Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI | SMCI Price Prediction) is dominating AI infrastructure headlines again this week, pitched as the cheap hardware proxy for the next leg of the datacenter buildout. The underlying data tells a different story.

The rotation is already underway. Super Micro is down 14.79% over the past week and 41.02% over the past month, while capital consolidates around the companies that own the AI stack. That is what a crowded trade unwinding looks like when the fundamentals stop cooperating.

The case against SMCI has three structural legs. GAAP gross margin collapsed to 6.3% in Q2 FY26 before recovering to only 9.9% in Q3. Q3 FY26 revenue landed at $10.24 billion, missing consensus by 17.75%, with EPS of $0.84 against the $0.6245 estimate. The balance sheet has become the story: $8.8 billion in bank debt and convertible notes, plus $6.6 billion in cash used in operations during the quarter. And the board is running an independent review of certain transactions related to export-control issues, with numbers filed preliminary and unaudited. That combination warrants heightened scrutiny in any retirement-focused review.

Now the redirect. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has been unfairly discounted by double digits over near-term technical capital expenditure fears, creating a rare entry point into what has quietly become the best-positioned AI infrastructure business in the market. A historic $10 billion private placement from Berkshire Hathaway signals where the patient capital has already landed. Three specific reasons the crowd is late.

1. The cloud is accelerating. Google Cloud revenue grew 63% year over year in Q1 FY26 to $20.03 billion, and backlog nearly doubled quarter over quarter to over $460 billion. Sundar Pichai told investors, “Google Cloud revenues grew 63% with backlog nearly doubling quarter on quarter to over $460 billion.” Super Micro sells boxes to hyperscalers. Alphabet is one of the three companies actually deciding what those hyperscalers spend.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Google didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

2. The margin gap is a canyon. Alphabet’s operating margin ran at 36.1% last quarter against Super Micro’s 5.70%. Q1 FY26 revenue reached $109.90 billion, beating consensus by 2.67%, with EPS of $5.11 versus the $2.63 estimate. That is a 94.10% beat and the fourth consecutive EPS beat. Alphabet trades at a forward P/E of 25, cheap for a mega-cap compounder growing operating income near 30%.

3. Fortress balance sheet, deep optionality. Q1 FY26 operating cash flow was $45.79 billion. The company has 350 million paid subscriptions, Waymo is running over 500,000 fully autonomous rides a week, and Gemini is processing more than 16 billion tokens per minute, up 60% from last quarter. The Street shows 14 strong buy, 43 buy, and zero sell ratings, with a target of $432.83 against the July 1 close of $361.21.

Prediction markets agree the setup is asymmetric. Polymarket traders put 80.0% odds on GOOGL touching $370 in July and 91.1% odds on a new Gemini Pro model shipping before month-end. Super Micro has no active prediction markets on either Kalshi or Polymarket. The crowd has already voted with its attention.

For investors researching AI infrastructure exposure, the contrast between a thin-margin assembler carrying a governance overhang and a vertically integrated compounder that owns the fabric is worth weighing.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Google didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Key Takeaways Vertex gained FDA approval to expand Casgevy to patients aged two and older with SCD or TDT.VRTX's Casgevy is the first genetic therapy approved for children as young as two with both disorders.VRTX said label expansion applications remain under review in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX - Free Report) announced that the FDA has approved its one-shot gene therapy, Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), for the treatment of individuals aged two years and older with either sickle cell disease (SCD) with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT).

Following the latest nod, Casgevy became the first and only genetic therapy to be approved for treating children as young as two years for both severe SCD and TDT, both inherited blood disorders.

Regulatory filings seeking approval for the label expansion of Casgevy are currently under review in the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the given indication.

Casgevy was previously approved for treating SCD and TDT in patients aged 12 years and older.

VRTX’s Price PerformanceYear to date, shares of Vertex have rallied 9.8% compared with the industry’s increase of 7%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

More on VRTX’s Ongoing Activities With CasgevyWe remind investors that Vertex leads the global development and commercialization of Casgevy under the terms of the 2021 agreement, with support from CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP - Free Report) .

Per the collaboration agreement, Vertex splits the program costs and profits in a 60:40 ratio with CRISPR Therapeutics.

In the first quarter of 2026, Casgevy’s sales were $42.9 million, down from $54.3 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025 due to quarter-to-quarter variability in Casgevy infusions.

Nonetheless, Casgevy’s launch metrics look positive with growing cell collections and product infusions. Vertex is also making rapid progress in the drug’s access and reimbursement.

In May 2026, Vertex signed a reimbursement agreement with Germany’s GKV-Spitzenverband for Casgevy, ensuring sustainable patient access for eligible individuals aged 12 years and older with severe SCD or TDT.

In 2026, Vertex expects continued quarter-to-quarter variability in Casgevy infusions, which the company expects will smooth out in 2027 and beyond. If commercialization of Casgevy ramps up successfully over the next few years, Vertex Pharmaceuticals believes the therapy has multibillion-dollar commercial potential.

VRTX Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderVertex currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are Immunocore (IMCR - Free Report) and Liquidia Corporation (LQDA - Free Report) , each currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Over the past 60 days, estimates for Immunocore’s 2026 bottom line have improved from a loss of 88 cents per share to earnings of 6 cents. Over the same period, EPS estimates for 2027 have risen from 24 cents to 87 cents. IMCR stock has lost 8.8% year to date.

Immunocore’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters, while missing the same on the remaining occasion, with the average surprise being 46.66%.

Over the past 60 days, estimates for Liquidia’s 2026 earnings per share have risen from $1.50 to $3.02, while estimates for 2027 have increased from $2.91 to $4.92 during the same time. LQDA shares have surged 130% year to date.

Liquidia’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters, while missing the same on the remaining occasion, with the average surprise being 54.40%.

Trust Wallet just made it meaningfully easier to trade perpetual futures from a mobile wallet. Users can now deposit assets directly into their Perps margin accounts from Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, and other supported chains, no third-party bridges, no separate exchange accounts, no KYC in supported regions.

How the direct deposit feature works Users can send supported assets like ETH, BNB, USDC, and SOL directly into their Perps margin account within Trust Wallet’s app. No bridging tokens manually across chains, no copying wallet addresses into separate platforms, no creating accounts on centralized exchanges first.

Once funds land in the margin account, traders can open long or short positions across a broad set of markets. When they close a position, the funds route back to their wallet automatically. The entire flow stays within a self-custodial environment, meaning Trust Wallet never takes control of user assets at any point in the process.

The feature is available in eligible jurisdictions only, and Trust Wallet has included warnings about leverage risks.

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The Perps infrastructure behind the scenes Trust Wallet’s perpetual futures offering didn’t appear overnight. The foundation was laid in October 2025, when the wallet integrated with Aster DEX. That initial rollout offered up to 100x leverage across more than 100 markets.

Then came the Hyperliquid integration on April 29, 2026. Hyperliquid brought access to over 200 markets with leverage up to 200x on select pairs. It also introduced deeper liquidity and expanded the asset menu beyond standard crypto tokens to include real-world assets like commodities and precious metals.

The direct deposit capability is essentially the missing piece that ties these integrations together into a cohesive user experience. Before this update, the trading infrastructure was there but funding it required extra steps. Multi-chain deposits remove that bottleneck.

Trust Wallet is also exploring fee discounts for users who trade using Trust Wallet Token (TWT), though the specifics of that program haven’t been fully detailed yet.

What this means for investors Trust Wallet is betting that the future of derivatives trading is self-custodial and mobile. That’s a direct challenge to centralized exchanges like Binance, Bybit, and OKX, which have dominated perpetual futures volume for years. Those platforms require account creation, identity verification, and handing over custody of your funds.

By supporting Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, and potentially other networks, Trust Wallet avoids locking users into a single ecosystem. A trader holding ETH on Arbitrum and USDC on BNB Smart Chain can fund positions from either without first consolidating assets on one chain.

Offering 200x leverage to mobile users with no KYC requirements is a regulatory lightning rod in many jurisdictions. Trust Wallet’s current approach of restricting access by region and displaying risk warnings is the minimum viable compliance strategy. Whether regulators in key markets will consider that sufficient remains an open question, and any enforcement action could disrupt the product’s availability.

For TWT holders specifically, the prospect of trading fee discounts adds a potential demand catalyst. But until the discount structure is confirmed and live, it remains a forward-looking narrative rather than a concrete value driver.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) still wears the crown as the world’s most valuable company at roughly $4.78 trillion, and every AI headline runs through it. But look at what has been happening while everyone else stares at the headline. NVIDIA fell 12% in the past month, while Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) at a market cap of $4.38 trillion keeps grinding. The gap is closing in real time.

The crowded AI trade is finally getting scrutinized NVIDIA’s last earnings report looked stellar on paper, and the stock still leaks. Traders’s concerns are structural. Goldman Sachs flagged AI infrastructure capex running around $770 billion in 2026, roughly the entire operating cash flow of the major cloud operators combined.

However, NVIDIA is quietly financing its own demand by backing Anthropic, OpenAI, and CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV), who then turn around and buy chips. That circularity works beautifully when sentiment is high. It becomes a very different question when anyone leans on the tempo.

The bill for the AI buildout is showing up, and the market is starting to price the risk that it does not all might pencil out at 30 times earnings.

Google owns the whole stack Google’s Q1 2026 revenue hit $109.90 billion, up 21.8% year over year, with EPS of $5.11 against a $2.63 consensus. That is the fourth consecutive earnings beat, and revenue growth is accelerating each quarter.

Google Cloud grew 63% to $20.03 billion, and backlog nearly doubled quarter over quarter to over $460 billion. That backlog is contracted future revenue already booked, which is a very different animal from a forward guide.

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Google owns the models (Gemini processing 16 billion tokens per minute), the infrastructure (TPUs, plus custom Icefish chips reportedly being built by Samsung), the distribution (Search still growing 19%, YouTube, Android, 350 million paid subscribers), and the demand itself. NVIDIA sells shovels to one gold rush. Google is running four different mines at once and grinding its own shovels in the back.

The valuation and durability case for a retirement book Then there is the multiple. Google trades at a trailing 27x P/E and a forward 25x, with a 36.1% operating margin and a 37.9% profit margin. Management just raised the dividend 5% to $0.22 per share, the stock was added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 29, and Waymo is casually running 500,000 fully autonomous rides a week.

Analyst sentiment is stacked with 14 strong buys, 44 buys, and zero sell ratings. For a portfolio that wants durable AI exposure without a single-product hardware cycle riding shotgun, Google is the calmer expression of the same thesis.

Polymarket still gives Google only a 16% probability of finishing 2026 as the largest company in the world, and a 58% chance of ending July as number two. The crowd is late to price the rotation, which is exactly the moment before the re-rating actually happens.

The rotation from the NVIDIA headline trade toward Google is worth researching before the market finishes doing the math.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Celsius Holdings stock is gaining positive traction. What’s driving CELH shares up? What Is Driving CELH’s Recent Rebound?The latest push higher is being framed as a technical "catch-up" bounce after a prolonged slide, with price reclaiming the 20-day and 50-day moving averages as near-term trend gauges start to improve. Even with that bounce, the stock is still well below longer-term reference points that often act like overhead supply during rebounds.

Celsius is now about 9.3% above its 20-day SMA ($29.13) and 3.8% above its 50-day SMA ($30.65), but it remains roughly 12% below its 100-day SMA ($36.18) and 27.3% below its 200-day SMA ($43.77). That gap keeps the move looking like a tactical rebound rather than a full trend reversal.

Additionally, UBS analyst Peter Grom on Tuesday maintained a Buy rating on Celsius but lowered the price target to $50 from $55.

CELH Technical Levels To Watch For ReboundAt $32.38, CELH is trading above its 20-day SMA ($29.14) and 50-day SMA ($30.66), which is the first "check-the-box" step for a rebound to keep going. The problem for longer-term bulls is that it’s still trading below the 100-day SMA ($36.18) and far below the 200-day SMA ($43.77), so rallies can run into sellers as the stock approaches those zones.

Momentum is leaning more constructive: MACD is above its signal line and the histogram is positive, which suggests downside pressure is easing versus the prior downswing. In plain terms, MACD helps gauge whether a bounce is actually gaining traction—being above the signal line typically means momentum is improving rather than fading.

The bigger trend damage is still visible in the death cross from March (the 50-day SMA below the 200-day SMA), which often keeps rebounds choppy until price can reclaim longer moving averages. From a swing perspective, the April swing high and the June swing low frame the current move as a rebound attempt inside a 12-month decline of 31.27%.

Key Resistance: $33.50 — a nearby pivot area where rebounds can stall before the stock can work back toward the 100-day moving average zone Key Support: $27.50 — sitting just above the 52-week low area ($27.47), a level that recently attracted buyers How Celsius Holdings Operates in the Beverage MarketCelsius Holdings operates in the energy drink subsegment of the global nonalcoholic beverage market, with 95% of revenue concentrated in North America. It owns three energy drink brands: Celsius, Alani Nu and Rockstar Energy.

The company leans heavily on product innovation and marketing, while outsourcing manufacturing and packaging to third-party co-packers and distribution to PepsiCo. PepsiCo’s investments in 2022 and 2025 left it with an 11% stake in Celsius, which matters because that distribution footprint can help scale the brands—but the stock can still trade like a momentum name when growth expectations shift.

Celsius Holdings Benzinga Edge Scorecard BreakdownBelow is the Benzinga Edge scorecard for Celsius Holdings, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market:

The Verdict: Celsius Holdings’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals weak readings across momentum, growth, value, and quality, which fits a stock still trying to repair a longer-term downtrend. For bulls, the near-term setup improves if CELH can clear resistance and hold above its short-term averages; for bears, failure near overhead levels keeps the "sell-the-rip" playbook in focus.

CELH Stock Price MovementCELH Stock Price Activity: Celsius Holdings shares are up 4.36% at $33.26 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.

Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Commercial Metals (CMC - Free Report) Commercial Metals Company manufactures, recycles and markets steel and metal products, related materials and services. It operates a network that includes seven electric arc furnace mini mills, two electric arc furnace micro mills, a rerolling mill, steel fabrication and processing plants, construction-related product warehouses, and metal recycling facilities in the United States and Poland.

CMC is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

It also boasts a Value Style Score of A thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 9.36; value investors should take notice.

For fiscal 2026, two analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.00 to $6.54 per share. CMC boasts an average earnings surprise of +5.3%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, CMC should be on investors' short list.

Barrick Mining (NYSE:B) trades at $36.45, while Wall Street’s average price target is $56.08. That leaves an implied upside of well over 50%, a gap large enough that Barrick qualifies as one of the more disconnected large-cap names in its sector.

The company is one of the world’s largest gold and copper producers, recently rebranded from Barrick Gold, with its ticker changed from GOLD to B on May 9. Wall Street entered the year heavily bullish: two consecutive blowout quarters, a $3.0 billion share buyback authorized in May 2026, a 40% dividend hike, and a targeted spinout of North American gold assets.

Yet the stock is heading in the wrong direction while gold prints record after record. Why the divergence?

Gold Rips, the Miner Slips Barrick has fallen 17.6% year to date and is down 13.9% over the past month alone. From its January 2026 peak of $49.64, the stock has lost roughly a quarter of its value even as the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (NYSEArca:GLD) has held far better, off just 6.5% year to date and still up 20.5% over the past year.

The pressure is company-specific. A leadership transition is central to the story, with Mark Hill running the company on an interim basis before being named CEO. Layer on escalating security issues that slowed development at the Reko Diq project in Pakistan, a $200 million payment to the government of Mali in November 2025 tied to the Loulo-Gounkoto dispute, and reported early-stage discussions to divest the African business, potentially via a London listing or an all-share transaction with Endeavour Mining. Add strategic noise from the rebrand, the targeted North American spinout, and higher royalty costs tied to elevated bullion prices, and it becomes clearer why the market has ignored the gold rally. Technicals reinforce the mood, with TradingKey’s mid-June signal flagging a Sell reading with resistance at $46.12 and support at $39.17.

Why Wall Street Has Not Blinked Analysts are staying put because fundamentals keep improving. Q1 2026 revenue totaled $5.2 billion, beating consensus by 15% and rising 67% year over year, with adjusted EPS of $0.98 versus a $0.81 estimate. Free cash flow hit a record $1.2 billion, up 195%, and the realized gold price reached $4,823 per oz.

Analyst sentiment on the stock skews decisively bullish. Recent activity has consisted of reiterations rather than cuts, suggesting analysts view the pullback as noise around an intact thesis.

The catalyst list is specific. CEO Mark Hill has framed the year around executing the “North American Barrick IPO to unlock further shareholder value,” with completion targeted by late 2026 subject to market and regulatory conditions. Beyond the spinout, analysts point to the Fourmile discovery with 2.6 million ounces indicated and 13 million ounces inferred, the Lumwana copper expansion tracking ahead of schedule, and Goldrush ramp-up.

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Keep in mind that analyst targets matter less as promises than as directional signals.

Cheap on Multiples, Heavy on Overhangs Barrick trades at a trailing P/E of 10 and a forward P/E of 9, with TTM revenue of $19.04 billion and diluted EPS of $3.65. The market cap is roughly $61.2 billion, and the balance sheet holds $6.706 billion in cash.

The stock is up 74.8% over the past year, so this is a pullback within a much bigger uptrend. The 52-week range spans $20.52 to $54.69. Against the current $36.45 share price, the $55.83 consensus target implies a return well north of 50%, dwarfing the mid-teens returns the broad U.S. market has produced.

The Takeaway: An Opportunity for Patient Hands The bull case for Barrick strengthens if the North American IPO closes on schedule, the Reko Diq security situation stabilizes, and gold holds above $4,000 per oz into 2027. That combination would let free cash flow compound, the $3.0 billion buyback shrink the float meaningfully, and and close some of the gap to $55.83.

The bear case holds if the market is right to price in execution risk. A delayed or discounted spinout, further security incidents in Pakistan, another operational stumble in Mali, or the new CEO making moves that unsettle strategy could keep the multiple compressed even with strong bullion prices. Rising all-in sustaining costs are a real drag, with 2026 guidance of $1,760 to $1,950 per oz.

Overall, the indicators look encouraging. The valuation, cash generation, and analyst conviction are hard to argue with. This suits investors comfortable holding through headline risk and willing to wait for the gap to consensus to close.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.

It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreIf you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Leidos (LDOS - Free Report) Founded in 1969, Delaware-based Leidos Holdings, Inc. is a global science and technology leader that serves the defense, intelligence, civil and health markets. Its core capabilities include providing solutions in the fields of cybersecurity; data analytics; enterprise IT modernization; operations and logistics; sensors, collection and phenomenology; software development; and systems engineering.

LDOS is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. LDOS has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 2.3% for the current fiscal year.

Two analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.00 to $12.26 per share. LDOS also boasts an average earnings surprise of +13.8%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, LDOS should be on investors' short list.

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One company to watch right now is Progress Software (PRGS - Free Report) . PRGS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 7.46, which compares to its industry's average of 18.95. Over the last 12 months, PRGS's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.46 and as low as 7.37, with a median of 10.95.

Investors should also recognize that PRGS has a P/B ratio of 4. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 5.48. Within the past 52 weeks, PRGS's P/B has been as high as 7.05 and as low as 3.95, with a median of 5.89.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. PRGS has a P/S ratio of 1.6. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.41.

Finally, our model also underscores that PRGS has a P/CF ratio of 9.86. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. PRGS's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 13.71. PRGS's P/CF has been as high as 18.02 and as low as 9.74, with a median of 14.83, all within the past year.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Progress Software is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, PRGS sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.