Investors often turn to recommendations made by Wall Street analysts before making a Buy, Sell, or Hold decision about a stock. While media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm employed (or sell-side) analysts often affect a stock's price, do they really matter?Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Cardinal Health (CAH) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.Cardinal currently has an average br ...

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of Wall Street analysts' recommendations, particularly focusing on AngloGold Ashanti (AU), and emphasizes the importance of using these recommendations in conjunction with other analytical tools like the Zacks Rank [1][5]. Brokerage Recommendations - AngloGold Ashanti has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.50, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, with 75% of recommendations being Strong Buy and 12.5% being Buy [2]. - The article highlights that while the ABR suggests buying, it should not be the sole basis for investment decisions due to the limited success of brokerage recommendations in predicting stock price increases [5][10]. Analyst Bias - Brokerage analysts tend to exhibit a strong positive bias in their ratings, often issuing five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" [6][10]. - This bias indicates that analysts' interests may not align with those of retail investors, leading to potential misguidance [7][10]. Zacks Rank Comparison - The Zacks Rank is presented as a more reliable tool for predicting stock performance, categorizing stocks from Strong Buy to Strong Sell based on earnings estimate revisions [8][11]. - Unlike the ABR, the Zacks Rank is timely and reflects the latest earnings estimates, making it a more effective indicator of future stock prices [12]. Earnings Estimate Revisions - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AngloGold Ashanti has increased by 9.2% over the past month to $5.8, indicating growing analyst optimism about the company's earnings prospects [13]. - This increase in consensus estimates, along with other factors, has resulted in a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) for AngloGold Ashanti, suggesting a potential for stock price appreciation [14].

A strong stock as of late has been MKS (MKSI) . Shares have been marching higher, with the stock up 15.6% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $157.23 in the previous session. MKS has gained 48.7% since the start of the year compared to the 25.1% move for the Zacks Computer and Technology sector and the 35.8% return for the Zacks Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry.What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has an impressive record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't ...

Have you been paying attention to shares of South Atlantic Bancshares, Inc. (SABK) ? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 18.3% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $21.93 in the previous session. South Atlantic Bancshares has gained 25.5% since the start of the year compared to the 12.7% gain for the Zacks Finance sector and the -2.6% return for the Zacks Banks - Southeast industry.What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has an impressive record of positive earnings surpri ...

Endeavour Silver (EXK) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.01 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.05. This compares to earnings of $0.01 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -120.00%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this silver mining company would post earnings of $0.01 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.03, delivering a surprise of -400%.Over the last four quarters, the company h ...

分组1 - Sunstone Hotel Investors reported quarterly funds from operations (FFO) of $0.17 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.15 per share, but down from $0.18 per share a year ago, representing an FFO surprise of +13.33% [1] - The company achieved revenues of $229.32 million for the quarter ended September 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.90% and showing an increase from $226.39 million year-over-year [2] - Over the last four quarters, Sunstone Hotel has consistently surpassed consensus FFO estimates, achieving this four times [2] 分组2 - The stock has underperformed, losing about 21.6% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 14.3% [3] - The current consensus FFO estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.20 on revenues of $228.63 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $0.84 on revenues of $947.58 million [7] - The Zacks Industry Rank for REIT and Equity Trust - Other is in the top 32% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a favorable outlook for the industry [8]

Core Insights - Hain Celestial reported a quarterly loss of $0.08 per share, which was worse than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.04, marking an earnings surprise of -100.00% [1] - The company generated revenues of $367.88 million for the quarter ended September 2025, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.66%, but down from $394.6 million year-over-year [2] - Hain Celestial's stock has declined approximately 82.6% year-to-date, contrasting with the S&P 500's gain of 14.3% [3] Earnings Outlook - The company's earnings outlook is critical for assessing future stock performance, with current consensus EPS estimates at $0.02 for the upcoming quarter and $0.07 for the current fiscal year, with revenues projected at $394.07 million and $1.51 billion respectively [7] - The trend of estimate revisions for Hain Celestial has been unfavorable, resulting in a Zacks Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), indicating expected underperformance in the near future [6] Industry Context - The Food - Miscellaneous industry, to which Hain Celestial belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 30% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a challenging environment for stock performance [8] - Empirical research indicates a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and earnings estimate revisions, highlighting the importance of tracking these revisions for investment decisions [5]

Group 1: Skillsoft Corp. (SKIL) - Skillsoft is an instructor-led training services company with a Zacks Rank 1 [1] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has increased by 240.9% over the last 60 days [1] - Skillsoft has a PEG ratio of 0.36 compared to the industry average of 0.98, and it possesses a Growth Score of B [1] Group 2: Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) - Micron Technology is a memory and storage products company with a Zacks Rank 1 [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has increased by 24.4% over the last 60 days [2] - Micron has a PEG ratio of 0.51 compared to the industry average of 1.45, and it possesses a Growth Score of A [2] Group 3: Ultrapar Participaçoes S.A. (UGP) - Ultrapar is a distributor of liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, ethanol, diesel, fuel oil, and kerosene with a Zacks Rank 1 [3] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has increased by 51.9% over the last 60 days [3] - Ultrapar has a PEG ratio of 1.96 compared to the industry average of 2.44, and it possesses a Growth Score of A [3]

Abacus Life, Inc. (ABL) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.2 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.18 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.2 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +11.11%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post earnings of $0.16 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.22, delivering a surprise of +37.5%.Over the last four quarters, the company ...

Codexis (CDXS) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.22 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.15. This compares to a loss of $0.29 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -46.67%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this producer of custom industrial enzymes would post a loss of $0.17 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.16, delivering a surprise of +5.88%.Over the last four quarters, ...