Monday, April 13, 2026

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 Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY), Mastercard Inc. (MA) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), as well as a micro-cap stock Stratus Properties Inc. (STRS). 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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Today's Featured Research Reports

Eli Lilly’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past six months (+13.89% vs. +9.26%). Demand for the company’s popular GLP-1 drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, remains strong. Robust growth trends in the U.S. incretin market and positive uptake trends in new international markets led to strong sales growth in 2025 with the positive trend expected to continue in 2026. 

Lilly’s other new drugs like Kisunla, Omvoh and Jaypirca are also contributing to its top-line growth. Lilly is also making rapid pipeline progress in obesity and diabetes with oral GLP-1 obesity pill, Foundayo (orforglipron), launched in April. 

However, declining sales of Trulicity, rising pricing pressure on some drugs and potential competition in the GLP-1 diabetes/obesity market are some top-line headwinds. Estimate movement is mixed ahead of Q1 results. Lilly has a mixed record of earnings surprises in recent quarters.

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

Shares of Mastercard have declined -11.9% over the past six months against the Zacks Financial Transaction Services industry’s decline of -18.3%. The company’s dividend yield is lower than the industry average. MA expects adjusted operating expenses to witness low double-digit growth on a year-over-year basis in 2025. Expenses are likely to rise due to accelerating investments. Rebates and incentives increased 16% YoY in 2025. As such, we reiterate our Neutral recommendation on the stock.

Nevertheless, MA's acquisitions and collaborations are helping the company to grow addressable markets and drive new revenue streams. Net revenues rose 16% YoY in 2025 on the back of increased cross-border volume. The accelerated adoption of digital and contactless solutions is providing an opportunity for its business to expedite its shift to the digital mode. 

Strong cash flow supports growth initiatives and enables shareholder value-boosting efforts via repurchases and dividends. MA paid dividends of $2.8 billion in 2025.

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

AMD’s shares have gained +12.4% over the past six months against the Zacks Computer - Integrated Systems industry’s gain of +24.2%. The company’s prospects are benefiting from strong demand for EPYC processors that power cloud and enterprise workloads. Emerging AI use cases and rapid adoption of agentic AI are generating demand for general-purpose compute infrastructure, benefiting EPYC demand. 

Adoption of EPYC by the largest cloud hyperscalers is increasing significantly. Apart from EPYC, AMD’s prospects are driven by strong demand for Instinct accelerators. The launch of the Instinct MI350 series that supports deployments powered by AMD CPUs, GPUs and NICs has strengthened AMD’s system-level capabilities.

A rich partner base that includes the likes of OpenAI, HPE, Dell, Lenovo, Super Micro, AWS, Oracle, Cisco, IBM, Cohere, Vultr, DigitalOcean and others is driving AMD’s prospects. However, stiff competition from NVIDIA and Intel doesn’t bode well for AMD.

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

Shares of Stratus Properties have outperformed the Zacks Real Estate - Operations industry over the past six months (+55.2% vs. -4.1%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $242.75 million has made the shift to a liquidation strategy in March 2026, introducing a clear, time-bound path to value realization, with estimated total distributions of ~$29.73–$37.69 per share. A strong liquidity position (~$74 million cash) supports controlled asset sales, reducing the risk of forced dispositions and enabling opportunistic timing. 

Near-term transactions, including Jones Crossing and New Caney, enhance early cash flow visibility, while a large, diversified 1,500-acre land bank provides multiple monetization avenues. 

However, key risks include execution challenges in illiquid real estate markets, concentration in Holden Hills amid regulatory uncertainty, and a fully variable-rate $143 million debt load with near-term maturities. Dependence on external capital and softer multifamily fundamentals may pressure timelines and realized values. The stock trades near historical valuation ranges. 

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (EW), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) and SharkNinja, Inc. (SN).

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>>>