Wednesday, November 19, 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 Walmart Inc. (WMT), Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG) and Lam Research Corp. (LRCX), as well as a micro-cap stock BV Financial, Inc. (BVFL). 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.

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Today's Featured Research Reports

Shares of Walmart have gained +11.7% over the year-to-date period against the Zacks Retail - Supermarkets industry’s gain of +13.2%. The company is benefiting from the inherent strength of its highly diversified business model. The company's strong omnichannel strategy has boosted traffic at physical stores and digital platforms. 

Walmart’s focus on improving delivery services is successful, leading to steady grocery market-share gains. Upsides like these, along with growth in newer ventures like advertising and membership, fueled second-quarter fiscal 2026 results, wherein earnings and revenues increased year over year, and e-commerce sales surged. 

For the fiscal third quarter, management expects consolidated net sales growth of 3.75-4.75% at cc. However, the company has been witnessing deleveraged operating expenses for a while now. In addition, tariff-related woes remain concerning.

Intuitive Surgical’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Medical - Instruments industry over the year-to-date (+6.6% vs. +0.8%). The company delivered a strong third-quarter, beating revenue and EPS estimates. The da Vinci 5 system gained momentum with 240 U.S. placements, raising its installed base to 929, alongside approvals in Europe and Japan for phased rollout. 

Utilization surpassed the Xi platform, supported by force feedback and Case Insights, while rising trade-ins highlighted upgrade demand. Global procedures grew 19% year over year, with 16% growth in the U.S. and 24% OUS, driven by benign general and non-urology surgeries in India, Korea, and distributor markets. System placements totaled 427, showing strong demand. 

However, gross margin slipped on higher costs and tariffs, while OUS markets remain pressured by budget constraints. Medicaid policy uncertainty is a risk, but ISRG raised 2025 growth guidance to 17–17.5% and margins to 67–67.5%.

Shares of Lam Research have outperformed the Zacks Electronics - Semiconductors industry over the year-to-date (+109.3% vs. +35.2%). The company is riding on its strength across 3D DRAM and advanced packaging technologies. Growing etch and deposition intensity owing to increasing technology inflections in 3D architectures is a plus. 

A rebound in the System business due to improving memory spending is an upside. Strategic investments in research and development activities position it well to capitalize on the growing wafer fab equipment (WFE) spending. Foundry/logic, DRAM and NAND investments are expected to be higher year over year. 

Solid demand related to high-bandwidth memory is a plus. The Zacks analyst model estimates suggest total revenues are expected to witness a CAGR of 8.5% through fiscal 2026 to 2028. However, global spending on mature nodes is likely to remain soft in the near term. Growing trade and tariff tensions between the United States and China are a concern.

BV Financial’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry over the past year (+3.9% vs. -5.5%). This microcap company with market capitalization of $152.35 million offers a balanced risk/reward profile, supported by disciplined loan growth, robust capital management, and a conservative balance sheet. Loans reached $746.1 million in Q3 2025, driven by commercial and CRE lending, while delinquencies remained low at 0.47%. An $8.2 million allowance for credit losses underscores its underwriting strength. 

BV Financial returned $18 million via buybacks, boosting EPS and book value per share, while eliminating $15 million in FHLB debt, reducing funding risk. Liquidity remains strong with $63.5 million in cash. 

However, rising deposit costs (+$7.9 million interest expense YTD), operating expense inflation (+29% in comp), and heavy CRE concentration (52.7% of loans) pose earnings risks. Weak fee income and limited digital treasury services constrain revenue diversification. Shares trade at a discount (0.89x P/B), underperforming sector averages.

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include KKR & Co. Inc. (KKR), APA Corp. (APA) and Ormat Technologies, Inc. (ORA).

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>>>