Tuesday, July 15, 2025

The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) and Shopify Inc. (SHOP), as well as two micro-cap stocks IDT Corp. (IDT) and Nathan's Famous, Inc. (NATH). The Zacks microcap research is unique as our research content on these small and under-the-radar companies is the only research of its type in the country.

These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

You can see all of today’s research reports here >>>

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You can read today's AWS here >>> Economy Shows Signs of Warming: CPI, Q2 Bank Earnings

Today's Featured Research Reports

Shares of Amazon.com have gained +17.1% over the past year against the Zacks Internet - Commerce industry’s gain of +20.2%. The company’s top-line is driven by steady momentum in Prime and AWS. A strengthening AWS services portfolio and its growing adoption rate contributed notably to AWS performance. Ultrafast delivery services and expanding content portfolio were beneficial. 

Strengthening relationship with third-party sellers was a positive. Robust advertising business contributed well. Amazon’s expanding global presence, growing capabilities in grocery, pharmacy, healthcare and autonomous driving are key positives. Deepening focus on GenAI is a major plus. The Zacks analyst expect 2025 net sales to increase 8.5% from 2024. 

However, Amazon announced mixed guidance for the second quarter. High tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on goods imported from China have cast uncertainty on retailers such as Amazon. AMZN's free cash flow has decreased significantly.

(You can read the full research report on Amazon.com here >>>)

Meta Platforms’ shares have outperformed the Zacks Internet - Software industry over the past year (+48.1% vs. +38.6%). The company is benefiting from steady user growth across all regions, particularly Asia Pacific. Increased engagement for its offerings like Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook has been a major growth driver. 

META has been leveraging AI to improve the potency of its platform offerings. These services currently reach more than 3.43 billion people daily. Meta Platforms’ growing footprint among young adults, driven by improving recommendations, boosts its competitive prowess. AI usage is making it a popular name among advertisers. This is expected to drive top-line growth. 

Meta Platforms now expects to invest significantly more over the next few years in developing more advanced models and the largest AI services in the world. However, monetization of these AI services will take considerable time, which is a concern.

(You can read the full research report on Meta Platforms here >>>)

Shares of Shopify have outperformed the Zacks Internet - Services industry over the past year (+66.3% vs. +1.7%). The company is benefiting from strong growth in its merchant base. New merchant-friendly tools like Shopify Balance, Shopify Tax, Shopify Inbox, and Tap to Pay solutions are helping the company to win new merchants regularly. Strong adoption of these solutions holds promise for Shopify’s prospects. 

Shopify’s investment in AI-driven tools, such as Shopify Sidekick and tariffguide.ai, is helping merchants improve customer engagement and streamline operations. Expansion of back-office merchant solutions to more countries is also strengthening Shopify’s international footprint. An expanding partner base is further expanding the company’s merchant base.

However, challenging macroeconomic uncertainties, persistent inflation and cautious consumer spending are headwinds. Ongoing tariff uncertainties also remained a concern. 

(You can read the full research report on Shopify here >>>)

IDT’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Diversified Communication Services industry over the past year (+60.6% vs. +12.2%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $1.49 billion has a diversified business model which continues to demonstrate operating leverage and scalable growth. NRS remains a high-margin, recurring revenue driver, expanding its POS network and merchant services while integrating with online platforms like DoorDash. 

BOSS Money is optimizing for profitability via digital channels, driving EBITDA growth and improving unit economics. net2phone is benefiting from high-ARPU seat growth and AI-driven efficiency tools. Traditional Communications, though declining, contributes to a stable cash flow. 

A strengthened balance sheet supports capital returns, though risks remain from liquidity volatility in remittance prefunding, customer concentration, the pricing strategy in Fintech and ad-related pressure in NRS. Despite rising CapEx, the stock offers a discounted entry into a profitable and scalable growth opportunity.

(You can read the full research report on IDT here >>>)

Shares of Nathan's Famous have outperformed the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry over the past year (+63.1% vs. +14.8%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $473.36 million exhibits strong earnings resilience through a multi-channel model that spans high-margin licensing, branded retail sales and franchising. 

Licensing revenues rose 11.4% in fiscal 2025, driven by Smithfield Foods, now contributing 89.8% of license royalties under a contract through 2032. Branded product sales grew 6.2% despite a 7% rise in beef costs, showing pricing power. Record net income of $24 million (up 22.5% from $19.6 million in the prior year) and adjusted EBITDA of $39.2 million (up 12.5% from $34.8 million in fiscal 2024) highlight operational efficiency. 

Expansion via 25 new franchises and 143 virtual kitchens supports asset-light scalability. Risks include beef cost inflation, franchise underperformance, digital lag and high dependence on Smithfield Foods. The valuation suggests a potential upside with improved execution.

(You can read the full research report on Nathan's Famous here >>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Robinhood Markets, Inc. (HOOD), IQVIA Holdings Inc. (IQV) and Guidewire Software, Inc. (GWRE).

Mark Vickery
Senior Editor

Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here>>>