Core Insights - Starbucks Corporation is set to release its fourth-quarter earnings results on October 29, with analysts predicting earnings of 55 cents per share, a decrease from 80 cents per share in the same period last year [1] - The expected quarterly revenue for Starbucks is $9.35 billion, an increase from $9.07 billion a year earlier [1] Dividend Information - On October 1, Starbucks raised its quarterly cash dividend from 61 cents to 62 cents per share [2] - Following the dividend announcement, Starbucks shares fell by 2.1%, closing at $85.43 [2] Analyst Ratings - Mizuho analyst Nick Setyan initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and a price target of $84 [4] - Barclays analyst Jeffrey Bernstein maintained an Overweight rating but reduced the price target from $115 to $95 [4] - Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem kept an Overweight rating and lowered the price target from $105 to $100 [4] - Citigroup analyst Jon Tower maintained a Neutral rating and cut the price target from $99 to $84 [4] - Baird analyst David Tarantino upgraded the stock from Neutral to Outperform and raised the price target from $100 to $115 [4]

Group 1 - Synovus Financial Corp. is set to release its third-quarter earnings results on October 15, with expected earnings of $1.35 per share, an increase from $1.23 per share in the same period last year [1] - The company projects quarterly revenue of $603.18 million, compared to $564.72 million a year earlier [1] - An $8.6 billion all-stock merger was announced between Pinnacle and Synovus on July 24 [1] Group 2 - Synovus Financial shares increased by 3.6%, closing at $47.84 [2] - Analysts have provided various ratings and price target adjustments for Synovus, with Truist Securities maintaining a Buy rating but lowering the price target from $58 to $56 [4] - Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded the stock from Outperform to Market Perform, reducing the price target from $65 to $50 [4] - Stephens & Co. maintained an Equal-Weight rating and cut the price target from $60 to $54 [4] - Barclays kept an Overweight rating while lowering the price target from $70 to $65 [4] - DA Davidson maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target from $60 to $63 [4]

Earnings Report - Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is set to release its third-quarter earnings results on October 15, with analysts expecting earnings of $1.03 per share, an increase from 79 cents per share in the same period last year [1] - The company projects quarterly revenue of $2.1 billion, compared to $1.9 billion a year earlier [1] Recent Performance - On July 17, Citizens Financial reported better-than-expected second-quarter financial results, leading to a 2% increase in share price, closing at $50.25 [2] Analyst Ratings - B of A Securities upgraded the stock from Neutral to Buy, raising the price target from $52 to $65 [4] - UBS maintained a Buy rating and increased the price target from $57 to $62 [4] - Evercore ISI Group maintained an Outperform rating and raised the price target from $57 to $61 [4] - Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock from Equal-Weight to Overweight, increasing the price target from $53 to $71 [4] - Citigroup maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target from $60 to $65 [4]

Core Insights - Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.64, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy based on 22 brokerage firms' recommendations [2] - 68.2% of the recommendations for NCLH are Strong Buy, with 15 out of 22 analysts endorsing this rating [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NCLH's earnings has increased by 2.3% over the past month to $2.06, reflecting analysts' growing optimism about the company's earnings prospects [13] Brokerage Recommendations - The ABR for NCLH suggests a buying opportunity, but relying solely on this metric may not be advisable due to the historical ineffectiveness of brokerage recommendations in predicting stock price appreciation [5][10] - Brokerage firms often exhibit a positive bias in their ratings, with a tendency to issue five Strong Buy recommendations for every Strong Sell, which may mislead investors [6][10] Zacks Rank Comparison - The Zacks Rank, which is based on earnings estimate revisions, is a more reliable indicator of near-term stock performance compared to the ABR [8][11] - The Zacks Rank is updated more frequently and reflects timely changes in earnings estimates, making it a better tool for predicting future stock prices [12] Investment Outlook - The recent increase in the consensus earnings estimate and the Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) for NCLH suggests a favorable investment outlook, potentially leading to significant stock price appreciation [13][14]

Earnings Report - Johnson & Johnson is set to release its third-quarter earnings results on October 14, with expected earnings of $2.76 per share, an increase from $2.42 per share in the same period last year [1] - The company projects quarterly revenue of $23.76 billion, compared to $22.47 billion a year earlier [1] FDA Approval - The U.S. FDA has approved Johnson & Johnson's Simponi (golimumab) for children with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis who weigh at least 15 kg [2] - Following the FDA approval, shares of Johnson & Johnson rose by 0.7% to close at $191.08 [2] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Goldman Sachs analyst Asad Haider maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target from $186 to $212 [5] - Citigroup analyst Joanne Wuensch also maintained a Buy rating, increasing the price target from $200 to $213 [5] - B of A Securities analyst Tim Anderson maintained a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $175 to $198 [5] - Guggenheim analyst Vamil Divan upgraded the stock from Neutral to Buy, raising the price target from $167 to $206 [5] - JP Morgan analyst Michael Weinstein maintained a Neutral rating and increased the price target from $185 to $200 [5]

Core Insights - Zacks Premium offers various tools for investors to enhance their stock market strategies, including daily updates on Zacks Rank and Industry Rank, access to the Zacks 1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens [1][2] Zacks Style Scores - Zacks Style Scores are indicators that rate stocks based on value, growth, and momentum methodologies, helping investors identify stocks likely to outperform the market in the next 30 days [2][3] - Each stock receives a rating from A to F, with A indicating the highest potential for outperformance [3] Value Score - The Value Style Score identifies attractive and discounted stocks using ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, and Price/Cash Flow [3] Growth Score - The Growth Style Score focuses on a company's financial strength and future outlook, analyzing projected and historical earnings, sales, and cash flow [4] Momentum Score - The Momentum Style Score helps investors capitalize on price trends by evaluating one-week price changes and monthly earnings estimate changes [5] VGM Score - The VGM Score combines all three Style Scores, providing a comprehensive indicator for assessing stocks based on value, growth, and momentum [6] Zacks Rank - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that leverages earnings estimate revisions to guide investors in portfolio creation [7] - Stocks rated 1 (Strong Buy) have historically achieved an average annual return of +23.81% since 1988, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 [7] Stock Selection Strategy - To maximize returns, investors should focus on stocks with a Zacks Rank of 1 or 2 and Style Scores of A or B [9] - Stocks with a 3 (Hold) rank should also have A or B Scores to ensure potential upside [9] Microsoft (MSFT) Overview - Microsoft Corporation holds over 73% market share in the PC software market and is rated 2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank with a VGM Score of B [11] - The company is projected to achieve year-over-year earnings growth of 13% for the current fiscal year, supported by a Growth Style Score of B [11][12] - Recent analyst revisions have increased the earnings estimate for fiscal 2026 by $0.09 to $15.41 per share, with an average earnings surprise of +7% [12]

Core Insights - Nucor Corporation is set to announce its Q3 earnings on October 27, with analysts expecting a profit of $2.16 per share, a 45% increase from $1.49 per share in the same quarter last year [2][6] - The company has a mixed earnings surprise history, having missed bottom-line estimates once in the past four quarters while surpassing projections three times [2] - For the full fiscal year 2025, Nucor is projected to report an EPS of $7.80, a decrease of 12.4% from $8.90 in 2024, but is expected to rebound with a 39.2% increase to $10.86 in fiscal 2026 [3] Financial Performance - Nucor's topline for the last quarter grew 4.7% year-over-year to $8.5 billion, aligning closely with market expectations [6] - However, the company's bottom-line fell 6.5% year-over-year to $603 million, missing consensus estimates due to increased costs and high marketing and administrative expenses [6] Stock Performance - Nucor's stock has declined 11.1% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund's 5.8% drop and the S&P 500 Index's 17.9% increase during the same period [4] - Following the release of disappointing Q2 results, Nucor's stock prices fell by 2.7% [5] Analyst Ratings - The consensus opinion on Nucor stock remains optimistic, with a "Strong Buy" rating from 10 out of 14 analysts, one recommending "Moderate Buy," and three suggesting a "Hold" rating [7] - The mean price target for Nucor is $158.67, indicating a potential upside of 16.8% from current price levels [7]

Core Insights - Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE) is set to release its second-quarter earnings results on October 9, with analysts expecting earnings of 52 cents per share, a decrease from $1.21 per share in the same quarter last year [1] - The company projects quarterly revenue of $416.77 million, down from $474.22 million a year earlier [1] - G. Scott Uzzell was appointed as the new CEO on August 13 [1] Stock Performance - Helen of Troy shares experienced a decline of 0.5%, closing at $26.32 on Monday [2] Analyst Ratings - UBS analyst Peter Grom maintained a Neutral rating and reduced the price target from $29 to $27 [7] - Canaccord Genuity analyst Susan Anderson downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold, cutting the price target from $47 to $26 [7] - DA Davidson analyst Linda Bolton Weiser kept a Neutral rating and increased the price target from $71 to $78 [7]

Core Insights - BlackBerry Limited is set to release its second-quarter earnings results on September 25, with analysts expecting earnings of 1 cent per share and projected revenue of $122.03 million, down from $145 million a year earlier [1] Group 1: Earnings Expectations - Analysts anticipate BlackBerry will report quarterly earnings of 1 cent per share [1] - Projected quarterly revenue is $122.03 million, a decrease from $145 million reported in the same quarter last year [1] Group 2: Recent Developments - On September 18, BlackBerry became the first mobile device management vendor certified by Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) [2] - Following this announcement, BlackBerry shares fell by 3% to close at $4.27 [2] Group 3: Analyst Ratings - RBC Capital analyst Paul Treiber maintained a Sector Perform rating and raised the price target from $3.75 to $4 [6] - Canaccord Genuity analyst Kingsley Craner maintained a Hold rating and increased the price target from $4.25 to $4.60 [6] - Baird analyst Luke Junk maintained a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $4 to $5 [6] - CIBC analyst Todd Coupland maintained an Outperformer rating but reduced the price target from $7 to $6 [6]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of brokerage recommendations, particularly focusing on CRISPR Therapeutics AG (CRSP), and highlights the potential misalignment of interests between brokerage analysts and retail investors [1][5][10]. Group 1: Brokerage Recommendations for CRISPR Therapeutics - CRISPR Therapeutics has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.92, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, based on 28 brokerage firms [2]. - Out of the 28 recommendations, 15 are classified as Strong Buy, while one is classified as Buy, representing 53.6% and 3.6% of total recommendations respectively [2]. Group 2: Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Studies indicate that brokerage recommendations may not effectively guide investors in selecting stocks with the highest price increase potential [5]. - Brokerage firms often exhibit a strong positive bias in their ratings due to vested interests, leading to a disproportionate number of Strong Buy recommendations compared to Strong Sell recommendations [6][10]. Group 3: Zacks Rank as an Alternative Indicator - Zacks Rank categorizes stocks into five groups based on earnings estimate revisions, which are more reliable indicators of near-term stock price performance compared to ABR [8][11]. - The Zacks Rank is updated more frequently and reflects timely changes in earnings estimates, unlike the potentially outdated ABR [13]. Group 4: Current Earnings Estimates for CRISPR Therapeutics - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRISPR Therapeutics remains unchanged at -$6.57 for the current year, suggesting stable analyst views on the company's earnings prospects [14]. - Due to the unchanged consensus estimate, CRISPR Therapeutics holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), indicating a cautious approach despite the Buy-equivalent ABR [15].