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Why MasterCard (MA) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:50
Core Insights - Zacks Premium offers various tools for investors to enhance their stock market strategies, including daily updates, research reports, and stock screens [1][2] Zacks Style Scores - Zacks Style Scores rate stocks based on value, growth, and momentum characteristics, providing a framework for investors to identify securities likely to outperform the market in the short term [2][3] - Stocks are rated from A to F, with A indicating the highest potential for outperformance [3] Value Score - The Value Score identifies attractive stocks based on valuation ratios such as P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, and Price/Cash Flow, appealing to value investors seeking undervalued opportunities [3] Growth Score - The Growth Score focuses on a company's financial health and future outlook, analyzing projected and historical earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks with sustainable growth potential [4] Momentum Score - The Momentum Score helps investors capitalize on price trends, using metrics like one-week price changes and monthly earnings estimate changes to identify optimal entry points [5] VGM Score - The VGM Score combines the Value, Growth, and Momentum Scores, serving as a comprehensive indicator for investors who utilize multiple investment styles [6] Zacks Rank - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary model that uses earnings estimate revisions to simplify portfolio building, with 1 (Strong Buy) stocks historically yielding an average annual return of +23.86% since 1988, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 [7][8] Stock Selection Strategy - Investors are encouraged to select stocks with a Zacks Rank of 1 or 2 and Style Scores of A or B to maximize upside potential [9][10] Company Spotlight: Mastercard (MA) - Mastercard Inc. is a leading global payment solutions provider, currently rated 3 (Hold) by Zacks, with a VGM Score of B [11] - The company has a Momentum Style Score of A, with a recent 0.1% increase in share price over the past four weeks and an upward revision of earnings estimates by 13 analysts [12]
Why Sysco (SYY) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:50
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.It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores. What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks ...
Will Datadog Stock Sustain Growth on Rising AI Cloud Monitoring Spend?
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:46
Key Takeaways Datadog posted 29% Q4 revenue growth to $953M, driven by AI-led cloud monitoring demand.Over 5,500 customers use Datadog AI integrations, while AI observability brands grew tenfold.Datadog guided up to $4.10B in 2026 revenues as $1M customers climbed to 603.Datadog's (DDOG) fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 results delivered a clear signal: demand for AI-driven cloud monitoring is accelerating, and the company is positioned at the center of that shift. Revenues climbed 29% year over year to $953 mill ...
Meta Platforms Taps NVIDIA for AI Expansion: Buy or Hold META Stock?
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:46
Core Insights - Meta Platforms (META) is enhancing its AI capabilities through a multi-year partnership with NVIDIA, aimed at building data centers optimized for AI training and inference, as well as improving its core business [1] - The integration of AI is expected to create the world's largest personalization and recommendation systems for META's 3.58 billion users [1] - META's AI strategy is driving user and advertiser engagement across its platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads [3] AI Integration and User Engagement - META's AI integration is expected to enhance user experience and engagement, with a significant increase in daily active users generating media, which tripled year over year in Q4 2025 [4] - The company is focusing on personalization through AI to better understand user interests and preferences, which is anticipated to improve content relevance across its platforms [4] - META is testing a business assistant powered by AI for advertisers, aimed at optimizing campaigns and providing account support [4] Advertising and Revenue Growth - The improved AI ranking system is benefiting META's advertising business, with a strong pipeline of ad opportunities on Threads and WhatsApp Status [5] - META plans to optimize ad formats and performance before increasing supply, leveraging its Andromeda ads retrieval engine across multiple platforms [5] - The consensus estimate for META's 2026 revenues is projected at $247.15 billion, indicating a 23% growth from 2025 [11] Capital Expenditure and Financial Outlook - META is planning significant capital expenditures between $115 billion and $135 billion in 2026, which may pressure free cash flow [6] - The company is expected to face challenges from a competitive advertising market and regulatory issues, which could impact its share price in the near term [6] - Operating expenses for 2026 are anticipated to be between $162 billion and $169 billion, potentially affecting earnings prospects [12] Stock Performance and Valuation - META shares have decreased by 7.4% over the past 12 months, underperforming the broader technology sector [7] - The current price-to-sales (P/S) ratio for META is 6.42, which is higher than the industry average of 3.86 [14] - META holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting that investors may want to wait for a more favorable entry point [15]
Apple (AAPL) is a Top-Ranked Growth Stock: Should You Buy?
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:46
Core Insights - The Zacks Premium service offers various tools for investors to enhance their stock market strategies and confidence in investing [1] Zacks Style Scores - Zacks Style Scores provide a unique rating system for stocks based on value, growth, and momentum characteristics, serving as complementary indicators to the Zacks Rank [2] - Stocks are rated from A to F, with A indicating the highest potential for outperforming the market [3] Value Score - The Value Style Score focuses on identifying undervalued stocks by analyzing financial ratios such as P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, and Price/Cash Flow [3] Growth Score - The Growth Style Score evaluates stocks based on projected and historical earnings, sales, and cash flow to identify those with sustainable growth potential [4] Momentum Score - The Momentum Style Score helps investors capitalize on price trends by analyzing short-term price changes and earnings estimate revisions [5] VGM Score - The VGM Score combines the Value, Growth, and Momentum Scores to identify stocks with the best overall characteristics for investment [6] Zacks Rank - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary model that uses earnings estimate revisions to simplify portfolio building, with 1 (Strong Buy) stocks achieving an average annual return of +23.86% since 1988 [7] - There can be over 800 stocks rated 1 or 2, making it essential to utilize Style Scores for better stock selection [8] Investment Strategy - For optimal returns, investors should focus on stocks with a Zacks Rank of 1 or 2 and Style Scores of A or B, while 3 ranked stocks should also have A or B Scores for maximum upside potential [9] Stock Analysis: Apple (AAPL) - Apple primarily generates revenue from its iPhone and a growing Services portfolio, which includes cloud services and other offerings [11] - AAPL holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) with a VGM Score of B and a Growth Style Score of A, indicating a forecasted year-over-year earnings growth of 12.7% for the current fiscal year [12] - Recent upward revisions in earnings estimates by nine analysts and an increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate to $8.41 per share further support AAPL as a strong candidate for growth investors [12]
Colgate-Palmolive (CL) is a Top-Ranked Growth Stock: Should You Buy?
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:46
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 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? Developed alon ...
Why Roku (ROKU) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:46
Core Insights - Zacks Premium offers tools for investors to enhance their stock market strategies and confidence, including daily updates, research reports, and stock screens [1] Zacks Style Scores - Zacks Style Scores provide a rating system for stocks based on value, growth, and momentum, helping investors identify securities likely to outperform the market in the short term [2] - Stocks are rated from A to F, with A indicating the highest potential for outperformance [3] Value Score - The Value Score focuses on identifying undervalued stocks using financial ratios such as P/E, PEG, and Price/Sales, aiming to find attractive investment opportunities [3] Growth Score - The Growth Score assesses a company's future prospects by analyzing projected and historical earnings, sales, and cash flow to identify stocks with sustainable growth potential [4] Momentum Score - The Momentum Score identifies trends in stock prices and earnings outlooks, helping investors time their positions based on recent price changes and earnings estimate revisions [5] VGM Score - The VGM Score combines the Value, Growth, and Momentum Scores, providing a comprehensive indicator for investors who utilize multiple investment strategies [6] Zacks Rank - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary model that uses earnings estimate revisions to simplify portfolio building, with 1 (Strong Buy) stocks historically yielding an average annual return of +23.86% since 1988, outperforming the S&P 500 [7] - There are typically over 800 stocks rated 1 or 2, making it essential for investors to utilize Style Scores to narrow down their choices [8] Stock to Watch: Roku - Roku is a leading TV streaming platform in North America, currently rated 1 (Strong Buy) with a VGM Score of B and a Growth Style Score of A, indicating a projected year-over-year earnings growth of 255.9% for the current fiscal year [11] - Recent upward revisions from eight analysts have increased Roku's earnings estimate for fiscal 2026 by $0.81 to $2.10 per share, with an average earnings surprise of +97.8% [12]
Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) is a Top-Ranked Growth Stock: Should You Buy?
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:46
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 includes access to the Zacks Style Scores a ...
Visa (V) is a Top-Ranked Growth Stock: Should You Buy?
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:46
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? The Zack ...
Is ESCO Technologies (ESE) Outperforming Other Business Services Stocks This Year?
ZACKS· 2026-02-19 15:41
The Business Services group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Esco Technologies (ESE) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.Esco Technologies is one of 237 companies in the Business Services group. The Business Services group currently sits at #12 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from ...