Investors might want to bet on Alignment Healthcare (ALHC) , as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.The sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the system.The ...

Investors might want to bet on MPLX LP (MPLX) , 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 sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the system.The power of ...

First Advantage (FA) could be a solid choice for investors given its recent upgrade 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 sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the system.Since a ch ...

Montrose Environmental (MEG) appears an attractive pick, as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This upgrade primarily reflects an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices.A company's changing earnings picture is at the core of the Zacks rating. The system tracks the Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus measure of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years.Since ...

Investors might want to bet on Aramark (ARMK) , as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.A company's changing earnings picture is at the core of the Zacks rating. The system tracks the Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus measure of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years.Since a changing earning ...

Pacific Biosciences of California (PACB) could be a solid choice for investors given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This upgrade is essentially a reflection of an upward trend in earnings estimates -- 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 Esti ...

Core Viewpoint - LendingClub (LC) shares have increased by 14.5% in the past four weeks, closing at $12.25, with a mean price target of $15.35 indicating a potential upside of 25.3% [1] Price Targets and Analyst Estimates - The mean estimate consists of 10 short-term price targets with a standard deviation of $2.75, where the lowest estimate is $12.00 (indicating a 2% decline) and the highest is $19.50 (indicating a 59.2% increase) [2] - A low standard deviation suggests a strong agreement among analysts regarding the stock's price movement [2][9] Earnings Estimates and Analyst Sentiment - Analysts have shown increasing optimism about LC's earnings prospects, with a positive trend in earnings estimate revisions correlating with potential stock price increases [4][11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has risen by 2.8% over the past month, with no negative revisions [12] - LC holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), placing it in the top 20% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimates [13] Conclusion on Price Movement - While consensus price targets may not be reliable for predicting exact stock gains, they can provide a directional guide for potential price movements [14]

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.Over the past month, shares of this operator of digital commerce platform have returned +16.1%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.9% change. During this period, the Zacks Internet - Software industry, which Affirm Holdings falls in, has gained 2.7%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's futur ...

Company Overview - Oportun Financial Corporation (OPRT) shares increased by 8.6% to close at $7.69, supported by high trading volume compared to normal sessions [1] - The stock has gained 0.7% over the past four weeks [1] Recent Developments - Oportun has extended its gains for three consecutive sessions after issuing a letter to shareholders supporting CEO Raul Vazquez, urging investors to vote for his retention on the board [2] - This move countered efforts by Findell Capital Management to remove him, which positively influenced investor sentiment and boosted OPRT stock [2] Earnings Expectations - The company is expected to report quarterly earnings of $0.21 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 162.5% [3] - Revenue is anticipated to be $239.79 million, a decrease of 4.2% from the same quarter last year [3] Stock Performance Insights - The consensus EPS estimate for Oportun has remained unchanged over the last 30 days, indicating that stock price movements may not sustain without trends in earnings estimate revisions [4] - Monitoring OPRT is advised to determine if the recent stock price increase can lead to further strength [4] Industry Context - Oportun Financial is part of the Zacks Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry, which includes StepStone Group Inc. (STEP) [5] - STEP's stock closed at $57.08, with a slight increase of 0.1% in the last trading session, but has returned -1.8% over the past month [5] - The consensus EPS estimate for StepStone has remained unchanged at $0.41, representing a decline of 14.6% from the previous year [6]

Allot Communications (ALLT) shares ended the last trading session 8% higher at $9.21. The jump came on an impressive volume with a higher-than-average number of shares changing hands in the session. This compares to the stock's 4.6% loss over the past four weeks.The sharp rise in the stock price was fueled by optimistic investor sentiment, sparked by recent analyst upgrades, promising earnings potential, an expanding customer base, and the effective rollout of the company’s security solutions.This internet ...