Zacks Rank Performance and Featured Stocks 

Shares of Tuya Inc. (Ticker: TUYA) and Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (Ticker: BHLB) have gained +21.97% (versus the S&P 500’s +5.6% increase) and +9.68% (versus the S&P 500’s +2.52% increase), since they were upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) on September 12^th and September 20^th, respectively. 

Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. 

A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank # 1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +14% in the year-to-date period through October 7^th, 2024, vs. +22.2% for the S&P 500 index and +12.4% for the equal-weight version of the S&P 500 index. 

This hypothetical portfolio returned +20.63% in 2023 vs. +24.83% for the S&P 500 index and +15% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. 

The portfolio of Zacks Rank #1 stocks is an equal-weight portfolio, while the S&P 500 index is a market-cap-weighted index that has been notably distorted by the concentrated performance of mega-cap stocks since late 2022. 

The Zacks Model Portfolio – consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks – has outperformed the S&P index by almost 13 percentage points since 1988 (through October 7^th, 2024, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks generated an annualized average return of +24.1% since 1988 vs. +11.2% for the S&P 500 index). 

Zacks Recommendation Featured Stocks 

Shares of Carnival Corporation (Ticker: CCL) and Northeast Community Bancorp, Inc. (Ticker: NECB) have gained +27.95% and +22.7% (versus the S&P 500’s +2.73% rise), respectively, since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on September 23^rd.    

While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. 

Zacks Focus List Model Portfolio Performance and Featured Stocks 

Shares of Shopify Inc. (Ticker: SHOP) from the Zacks Focus List have gained +45.53% over the past three months. The stock was added to the Focus List on September 6^th, 2022. Another Focus-List holding, Block, Inc. (Ticker: SQ), which was added to the portfolio on March 28^th, 2017, has returned +27.98% over the past three months. The S&P 500 has increased +5.6% over this period.

The Focus List portfolio returned +16.18% in 2024 (through October 31st) vs. +20.99% for the S&P 500 index and +13.29% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. 

The 50-stock Zacks Focus List model portfolio returned +31.44% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index and +13.61% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. In 2022, the portfolio produced -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index’s -17.96%. 

Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +11.69% (through October 31st, 2024). This compares to a +10.29% annualized return for the S&P 500 index and +10.12% for the equal-weight version of the index in the same time period. 

Zacks ECAP Performance and Featured Stocks 

Fiserv, Inc. (Ticker: FI) has gained +26.06% over the past three months. Another ECAP stock, FactSet Research Systems Inc. (Ticker: FDS), has returned +17.77% over the same period. 

The Zacks Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy-and-Hold stocks, returned -2.61% for October 2024 vs. the S&P 500 index’s -1.66% return (IVV ETF). 

For the year-to-date period (through the end of October 31^st, 2024), the portfolio returned +15.64% vs. +21% for the S&P 500 index.  

In 2023, the portfolio returned +12.17% vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 vs. the S&P 500 index’s -17.96%.   

Zacks ECDP Performance and Featured Stocks 

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (Ticker: ADP) has gained +12.7% over the past three months. Another ECDP stock, Illinois Tool Works Inc. (Ticker: ITW), has returned +11.85% over the same time frame. 

The Zacks Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP) returned -2.81% in October 2024 vs. the S&P 500 index’s -1.66% return and the Dividend Aristocrats ETF’s (NOBL) -3.1%. 

For the year-to-date period (through October 31^sth), the portfolio returned +17.46% vs. +21% for the S&P 500 index and +10.26% for NOBL. 

The portfolio returned -0.9% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index and +8.11% for NOBL. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 vs. -17.96% for the S&P 500 index and -8.34% for NOBL. 

Zacks Top 10 Stocks 

Freshpet, Inc. (Ticker: FRPT), from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2024, has gained +72.89% year to date, which compares to the S&P 500 index’s +23.25% increase. 

The Top 10 portfolio returned +43.45% this year through October 31st, vs. +20.99% for the S&P 500 index and +13.29% for the equal-weight version of the index. 

The Top 10 portfolio returned +25.15% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index. 

Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has produced a cumulative return of +1,746.65% through October 31st, 2024, vs. +450.50% for the S&P 500 index. The portfolio has produced an average return of +25.5% in the period 2012 through October 31st, 2024, vs. +14.22% for the S&P 500 index and +12.49% for the equal-weight version of the index.