Zacks Rank Performance and Featured Stocks

Shares of Micron Technology, Inc. (Ticker: MU) and Napco Security Technologies, Inc. (Ticker: NSSC) have gained +77.27% (versus the S&P 500’s +5.28% increase) and +14.79% (versus the S&P 500’s +4.73% increase) since they were upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on August 19^th and August 28^th, respectively.

Shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (Ticker: GGAL) and Inspire Banco Macro S.A. (Ticker: BMA) have lost -11.02% (versus the S&P 500’s +4.73% increase) and -3.38% (versus the S&P 500’s +4.35% increase) since they were downgraded to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) on August 28^th and August 29^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.

The Zacks Rank is a powerful predictive tool for timing investment decisions ahead of most other systems. A Zacks Rank of #1 or 2 signals strong potential for market outperformance. Conversely, a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) serves as an early warning of potential weakness, providing investors the opportunity to lock in profits and avoid unnecessary losses.

A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank # 1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +8.64% in 2025 (through September 1^st) vs. +7.60% for the S&P 500 index.

This portfolio returned +22.4% in 2024, vs. +28% for the S&P 500 index and +19.9% for the equal-weight version of the S&P 500 index.

This hypothetical portfolio returned +20.65% in 2023 vs. +24.83% for the S&P 500 index and +15% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index.

The Zacks Model Portfolio – consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks – has outperformed the S&P index by more than 12 percentage points since 1988 (through September 1^st, 2025, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks generated an annualized average return of +23.8% vs. +11.3% for the S&P 500 index).

Zacks Recommendation Featured Stocks

Shares of PDD Holdings Inc. (Ticker: PDD) and Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (Ticker: SBCF) have gained +9.61% (versus the S&P 500’s +4.35% increase) and +6.65% (versus the S&P 500’s +6.13% increase) since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on August 29^th and August 21^st, respectively.  

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 Lam Research Corporation (Ticker: LRCX) from the Zacks Focus List have gained +56.44% over the past three months. The stock was added to the Focus List on December 5^th, 2016. Another Focus-List holding, Shopify Inc. (Ticker: SHOP), which was added to the portfolio on September 6^th, 2022, has returned +38.99% over the past three months. The S&P 500 advanced by +6.32% over this period.

The 50-stock Focus List portfolio returned 18.3% in 2025 (through September 30^th, 2025) vs. +14.8% for the S&P 500 index and +9.9% for the equal-weight version of the index.

The Zacks Focus List portfolio returned +18.41% in 2024 vs. +25.04% for the S&P 500 index and +13% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. The portfolio had returned +29.54% 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 returned -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index’s -17.96%.

The portfolio leads the broader market over the preceding one, three, five and ‘since 2004’ periods. These annualized return comparisons are: +16.96% for the Focus List vs. +17.60% for the index over the one-year period, +26.77% vs. +24.94% over the 3-year period, +17.38% vs. +14.48% over the 5-year period, and +12.13% vs. +10.71% since 2004.

Zacks ECAP Performance and Featured Stocks

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Ticker: TMO) has gained +19.69% over the past three months. Another ECAP stock, Fair Isaac Corporation (Ticker: FICO), has returned +8.78% 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 -1.30% in the third quarter of 2025 vs. the S&P 500 index’s +8.1% gain (SPY ETF). In the year-to-date period through September 30^th, the portfolio returned +2.72% vs. +14.84% gain for the S&P 500 index.

For the year 2024, the portfolio returned +16.26% vs. +24.89% for the S&P 500 index (SPY ETF).

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

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (Ticker: UNH) has gained +28.98% over the past three months. Another ECDP stock, 3M Company (Ticker: MMM), has returned +11.39% over the same time frame.

The Zacks Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP) returned -0.01% in 2025 Q3 vs. the S&P 500 index’s +8.1% gain and the Dividend Aristocrats ETF’s (NOBL) +2.90% return. Year-to-date (through September 30^th), the portfolio returned +1.58% vs. +5.15% gain for the Dividend Aristocrat ETF.

For the full year 2024, the portfolio returned +6.95% vs. +24.89% for the S&P 500 index and +6.72% 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

Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (Ticker: CRDO), from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025, has gained +131.44% since the list was released on January 2^nd. During this period, the S&P 500 has increased by +15.6%.

The Top 10 portfolio returned +26.47% this year (through the end of September 2025) vs. +14.84% for the S&P 500 index and +9.9% for the equal-weight version of the index.

The Top 10 portfolio returned +62.98% in 2024, vs. +25.04% for the S&P 500 index and +13% for the equal-weight version of the index. The portfolio had 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 +2,553.1% through the end of September 2025 vs. +545.2% for the S&P 500 index and +396.4% for the equal-weight version of the index. The portfolio has produced an average return of +26.6% in the period 2012 through September 30, 2025, vs. +13.1% for the S&P 500 index and +10.5% for the equal-weight version of the index.