Thursday, July 17, 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 Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL), Oracle Corp. (ORCL) and Shell plc (SHEL), as well as two micro-cap stocks Fossil Group, Inc. (FOSL) and ImmuCell Corp. (ICCC). 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 >>> Good News for GE, Jobless Claims, Retail Sales & More

Today's Featured Research Reports

Shares of Alphabet have gained +2.6% over the past year against the Zacks Internet - Services industry’s gain of +6.1%. The company is riding on strong cloud and search growth. Google Cloud is benefiting from accelerated growth across AI infrastructure, enterprise AI platform Vertex and strong adoption of Generative AI solutions. 

Alphabet expects capital expenditures in 2025 to be relatively higher than in 2024, aimed at building technical infrastructure, primarily for servers, followed by data centers and networking. Its dominant position in the search engine market is a strong growth driver. In first-quarter 2025, GOOGL saw continued double-digit revenue growth in Search. 

Alphabet surpassed 270 million paid subscriptions with YouTube and Google One as key drivers. However, increasing litigation issues are a concern. Intensifying competition from Microsoft and Amazon in cloud computing is a headwind. 

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

Oracle’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Computer - Software industry over the year-to-date period (+51.9% vs. +18.5%). The company reported solid fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 results, wherein earnings and revenues beat estimates. Revenues were driven by continued momentum from its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure business, including from winning cloud-computing contracts from AI-focused startups. 

ORCL’s continued investment in cloud infrastructure positions it well for sustained growth in the dynamic software industry. Its partnership with Amazon for Oracle Database@AWS and general availability of Oracle Database@Google bodes well. Oracle’s Gen 2 Cloud is driving artificial intelligence clientele.  Its share buybacks and dividend policy are noteworthy. 

However, higher spending on product enhancements, toward the cloud platform amid increasing competition in the cloud domain is likely to limit margin expansion.

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

Shares of Shell have outperformed the Zacks Oil and Gas - Integrated - International industry over the year-to-date period (+14.8% vs. +4.6%). The company, a London-based oil supermajor, looks fairly balanced at the moment. Shell remains a global leader in liquefied natural gas, with its position bolstered by the acquisition of BG Group, to generate consistent earnings by capitalizing on steady demand for this transitional fuel. 

Strategic moves like the Equinor JV and Pavilion Energy acquisition also support long-term growth. However, a few red flags keep the outlook in check. Q1 revenue missed expectations by nearly $10 billion and was down 6.6% year over year due to weak chemicals margin. The reserve replacement rate of just 68% continues to lag. 

Additionally, delayed earnings impact from new projects, rising interest rate and ongoing pressure from the energy transition will impact the company’s near-term profitability. Hence investors are advised to hold the stock.

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

Fossil’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry over the past year (+34.2% vs. +6.5%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $87.74 million is executing a three-pillar turnaround strategy focused on brand revitalization, wholesale optimization, and cost restructuring. Early wins include a 410-bps gross margin expansion in FY24 and 880 bps YoY in Q1 FY25, aided by reduced promotions and product cost improvements. 

SG&A fell 11% YoY, with store closures and headcount reductions contributing to $100 million targeted FY25 savings. The company has exited smartwatches to refocus on high-margin traditional watches, now around 80% of sales, supported by a brand refresh and celebrity campaign. 

Wholesale realignment prioritizes profitable markets while transitioning smaller ones to a distributor model, enhancing margin flow-through. However, revenues continue to decline across segments, liquidity is strained, and tariffs could pressure margins. Shares trade at deep discounts to peers. 

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

Shares of ImmuCell have outperformed the Zacks Medical - Products industry over the past year (+58% vs. +11.5%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $58.38 million has expanded First Defense production capacity to support more than $30 million in annual sales, enabling it to meet strong demand and reduce backlog, with first-quarter 2025 sales up 11% year over year. 

Tri-Shield adoption grew to 70% of sales volume, boosting market share in calf scours prevention. Gross margin rose to 42% and EBITDA to $2.3 million, reflecting production normalization and fixed-cost leverage. Liquidity improved with $4.6 million in cash, $12.1 million in working capital, and no line of credit draw. 

A new bulk powder format launches in H2 2025 to tap underpenetrated markets. Risks include delays and uncertainty in FDA approval and commercialization of Re-Tain, high distributor concentration, and paused in-house fill/finish capacity for Re-Tain. Inflationary pressures and unclear Re-Tain adoption post-approval further cloud the long-term outlook.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include BlackRock, Inc. (BLK), Intel Corp. (INTC) and Constellation Energy Corp. (CEG).

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>>>