Friday, December 26, 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 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) and Lam Research Corp. (LRCX), as well as two micro-cap stocks, AstroNova, Inc. (ALOT) and Blue Dolphin Energy Co. (BDCO). These research reports have been hand-picked from roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

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

Ahead of Wall Street

The daily 'Ahead of Wall Street' article is a must-read for all investors who would like to be ready for that day's trading action. The article comes out before the market opens, attempting to make sense of that morning's economic releases and how they will affect that day's market action. You can read this article for free on our home page and can actually sign up there to get an email notification as this article comes out each morning.

You can read today's AWS here >>> Full-Day in the Markets on a Recently Declared Federal Holiday

Today's Featured Research Reports

Advanced Micro Devices’ shares have outperformed the Zacks Computer – Integrated Systems industry over the last six months (+49.5% vs. +47.0%). The Zacks analyst believes AMD is benefiting from rising demand for EPYC processors as cloud, enterprise and AI-driven workloads expand. Growing adoption by major hyperscalers, increased use of Instinct accelerators and the launch of the MI350 series have strengthened AMD’s system-level capabilities, supported by a broad ecosystem of cloud and AI partners.

However, the company faces intense competition from NVIDIA in AI accelerators and from Intel in CPUs, whose entrenched ecosystems and strong market positions continue to pressure its growth prospects.

(You can read the full research report on Advanced Micro Devices here >>>)

Goldman Sachs’ shares have outperformed the Zacks Financial – Investment Bank industry over the past year (+58.1% vs. +39.2%). The Zacks analyst believes that the company has shown solid momentum, supported by strong execution in investment banking and trading. The firm is refocusing on its core businesses, scaling back consumer banking, and expanding through strategic acquisitions in private equity credit and global alternatives, which should strengthen its global presence and revenue mix.

Yet heavy reliance on overseas markets raises concerns amid geopolitical uncertainty. Rising expenses from ongoing technology investments and higher transaction-related costs during periods of strong client activity also remain key challenges.

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

Lam Research’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Electronics – Semiconductors industry over the past six months (+82.5% vs. +25.3%). The Zacks analyst believes that the company is benefiting from its strength in 3D DRAM and advanced packaging, with rising etch and deposition intensity driven by more complex 3D architectures. Improving memory spending, solid demand for high-bandwidth memory and continued investments in research and development position the company well to capitalize on higher wafer fab equipment demand.

However, spending on mature semiconductor nodes is likely to remain weak in the near term. Ongoing trade and tariff tensions between the United States and China also remain a key risk to its outlook.

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

AstroNova’s shares have underperformed the Zacks Technology Services industry over the past year (-34.2% vs. +22.0%). The Zacks analyst believes that execution challenges persist for the company, including margin pressure from inventory buildup, volatility in the Product ID segment, sluggish Aerospace OEM demand and weak cash conversion, despite the stock trading well below peer valuations.

Yet AstroNova is repositioning for margin expansion by shifting toward higher-margin ToughWriter 640 printers, supported by cost reductions, lower debt and proprietary printhead technology that enables vertical integration and recurring revenue.

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

Blue Dolphin Energy’s shares have underperformed the Zacks Oil and Gas – Exploration and Production – United States industry over the last six months (-24.0% vs. -12.5%). The Zacks analyst believes severe liquidity stress, weakening profitability, refinancing risk and governance concerns tied to affiliate dependence weigh heavily on the company. Exposure to demand softness, crude price volatility, inventory risks and limited capital access further threaten its long-term viability.

However, the company continues to operate its refining business with support from affiliated entities, which has helped sustain operations in a difficult industry environment.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG), Chubb Ltd. (CB) and Parker-Hannifin Corp. (PH).

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>>>