Core Viewpoint - Amgen (AMGN) has been upgraded to a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating a positive outlook based on rising earnings estimates, which significantly influence stock prices [1][2]. Earnings Estimates and Stock Price Impact - The Zacks rating system emphasizes the importance of changing earnings estimates, which are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements [3][5]. - Institutional investors often rely on earnings estimates to determine a company's fair value, leading to significant stock price movements based on these estimates [3]. Amgen's Earnings Outlook - For the fiscal year ending December 2025, Amgen is expected to earn $20.85 per share, which remains unchanged from the previous year [7]. - Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Amgen has increased by 1.2%, reflecting a positive trend in earnings estimates [7]. Zacks Rank System - The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks into five groups based on earnings estimates, with a strong historical performance, particularly for Zacks Rank 1 stocks, which have generated an average annual return of +25% since 1988 [6]. - The upgrade of Amgen to a Zacks Rank 2 places it in the top 20% of Zacks-covered stocks, indicating a strong potential for market-beating returns in the near term [9].

Core Viewpoint - Sprout Social (SPT) has been upgraded to a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), indicating a positive earnings outlook that could lead to increased buying pressure and stock price appreciation [1][3]. Earnings Estimates and Stock Price Movement - The Zacks rating system is based on changes in earnings estimates, which are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements [4][6]. - Rising earnings estimates for Sprout Social suggest an improvement in the company's underlying business, which should encourage investors to push the stock price higher [5][8]. Zacks Rank System - The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks into five groups based on earnings estimates, with Zacks Rank 1 stocks historically generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988 [7][9]. - Only the top 5% of Zacks-covered stocks receive a "Strong Buy" rating, indicating superior earnings estimate revisions and potential for market-beating returns [10]. Recent Performance of Sprout Social - Analysts have raised their earnings estimates for Sprout Social, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate increasing by 13.8% over the past three months [8]. - The expected earnings per share for the fiscal year ending December 2025 is $0.73, reflecting no year-over-year change [8].

Investors might want to bet on Phreesia (PHR) , as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). This upgrade primarily reflects an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices.The Zacks rating relies solely on a company's changing earnings picture. It tracks EPS estimates for the current and following years from the sell-side analysts covering the stock through a consensus measure -- the Zacks Consensus Estimate.Since a changing earnings pict ...

Exact Sciences (EXAS) closed the last trading session at $54.3, gaining 1.9% over the past four weeks, but there could be plenty of upside left in the stock if short-term price targets set by Wall Street analysts are any guide. The mean price target of $68.55 indicates a 26.2% upside potential.The average comprises 22 short-term price targets ranging from a low of $54.00 to a high of $90.00, with a standard deviation of $7.85. While the lowest estimate indicates a decline of 0.6% from the current price leve ...

Astrana Health, Inc. (ASTH) closed the last trading session at $25.12, gaining 0.7% over the past four weeks, but there could be plenty of upside left in the stock if short-term price targets set by Wall Street analysts are any guide. The mean price target of $49.56 indicates a 97.3% upside potential.The average comprises nine short-term price targets ranging from a low of $36.00 to a high of $70.00, with a standard deviation of $12.39. While the lowest estimate indicates an increase of 43.3% from the curre ...

Shares of Hillman Solutions Corp. (HLMN) have gained 13.1% over the past four weeks to close the last trading session at $7.77, but there could still be a solid upside left in the stock if short-term price targets of Wall Street analysts are any indication. Going by the price targets, the mean estimate of $10.94 indicates a potential upside of 40.8%.The mean estimate comprises eight short-term price targets with a standard deviation of $2.54. While the lowest estimate of $8.00 indicates a 3% increase from t ...

Guidewire Software (GWRE) has been beaten down lately with too much selling pressure. While the stock has lost 12.4% over the past four weeks, there is light at the end of the tunnel as it is now in oversold territory and Wall Street analysts expect the company to report better earnings than they predicted earlier.We use Relative Strength Index (RSI), one of the most commonly used technical indicators, for spotting whether a stock is oversold. This is a momentum oscillator that measures the speed and change ...

The recommendations of Wall Street analysts are often relied on by investors when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. Media reports about these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts changing their ratings often affect a stock's price. Do they really matter, though?Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.Advanced Micro curre ...

When deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock, investors often rely on analyst recommendations. Media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts often influence a stock's price, but are they really important?Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about Veeva Systems (VEEV) .Veeva currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.97, on ...

The recommendations of Wall Street analysts are often relied on by investors when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. Media reports about these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts changing their ratings often affect a stock's price. Do they really matter, though?Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) .Alphabet currently has an average brokerage ...