For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – December 23, 2025 – Zacks Equity Research shares MongoDB (MDB Quick QuoteMDB - Free Report) as the Bull of the Day and Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (ACHC Quick QuoteACHC - Free Report) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on American Resources Corp. (AREC Quick QuoteAREC - Free Report) , MP Materials Corp. (MP Quick QuoteMP - Free Report) and USA Rare Earth, Inc. (USAR Quick QuoteUSAR - Free Report) .

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock MongoDB is a leading database software company. Think of a traditional database (like a spreadsheet or filing cabinet) as being very rigid: you have to decide exactly how many columns your data will have before you put anything in it. If you want to add new information later, you must stop everything and restructure the entire cabinet. Conversely, MDB technology stores data in self-contained folders that can hold anything – text, photos, video links, or lists – all in one place. Additionally, MDB's product is unique because:

· There are No Rigid Rules (Flexible Schema): You don't have to define a strict structure upfront. If you have 100 customer folders, and you decide you want to track a new "loyalty points" field, you just add it to the following folder you create. The other 99 folders don't need to change. This is called a flexible schema.

· It is Built for Speed and Scale: Because modern applications (like a popular social media app or an e-commerce site) serve millions of users and ingest new data every minute, MongoDB is designed to scale easily and handle massive amounts of data very quickly. It can simply add more "cabinets" (servers) to store data horizontally.

· The Main Product: Atlas: The company's main business is MongoDB Atlas, which is like an easy button for this robust database. It's a cloud service that lets developers use the MongoDB database without worrying about setting up or maintaining the servers. They just pay to use the database as a service.

Microsoft Partnership Helps MDB Break Into AI

MDB has a partnership with tech giant Microsoftthat enables Atlas to be deeply integrated into Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. Clients can now plug Atlas into Microsoft Azure to utilize its AI tools. The Microsoft partnership is critical for helping MDB gain a share of the rapidly growing AI market. The good news for MDB investors is that MongoDB was named the 2025 'Microsoft United States Partner of the Year.'

MDB: A Consistent EPS Outperformer

Wall Street is a game of expectations, and MDB has illustrated that it's capable of delivering. Over the past four quarters, it has surpassed Zacks Consensus Analyst Estimates by a juicy 69.30%.

MDB Reports Stellar EPS

Earlier this month, MongoDB delivered strong third-quarter results that exceeded the high end of their guidance, driven by continued strength in Atlas, which saw growth accelerate 30% year-over-year. Meanwhile, total revenue and subscription revenue grew 19% year-over-year as margins expanded. Finally, MDB raised its guidance. The company now expects EPS growth of ~30% and revenue growth of 20%.

MDB Technical View: An EPS-Induced Breakaway Gap

Following the early December earnings release, MDB shares spiked 22% as trading volume swelled to more than 4x the norm – a sign of heavy demand. Despite the large upside move, the stock has traded sideways since EPS, indicating that although investors have large profits in the stock, they are unwilling to part with their shares.

Bottom Line

MongoDB's flexible architecture, cloud-first Atlas platform, and strategic partnership with Microsoft give the company a powerful runway for AI-driven growth. With a track record of earnings outperformance and fresh momentum following EPS, MDB shares are a buy.

Bear of the Day:

Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) stock Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. is a behavioral healthcare provider. Headquartered in Franklin, TN, Acadia Healthcare owns and operates a vast network of 262 facilities across 39 states and Puerto Rico, making it one of the largest standalone behavioral health companies in the U.S. ACHC's healthcare facilities have ~12,000 beds with 163 comprehensive treatment centers (CTCs). Among the CTCs, 21 are owned properties of Acadia Healthcare, and 142 are leased properties.

Acadia Faces Legal & Regulatory Concerns

A bombshell 2024 New York Times (NYT) article suggested that Acadia forced patients to stay in their facilities against their will to increase profits from insurance payments. The article resulted in numerous subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the SEC regarding its admissions, length of stay, and billing practices. As a result, Acadia has agreed to pay massive settlements to attempt to clear its legal woes, including a $17 million settlement for a Medicaid fraud scheme in West Virginia.

In addition to rising legal costs, ACHC continues to face rising costs from higher wages, benefits, and supply prices. Total expenses surged 15% year over year. Meanwhile, ongoing DOJ scrutiny and heightened media attention are likely to keep these expenses elevated, pressuring margins.

ACHC Suffers from Negative EPS Growth

ACHC is facing negative growth prospects over the next few quarters. For the current quarter, Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest EPS growth will plunge 84.38% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the negative EPS growth is expected to continue into next year.

Additionally, the company's reduced 2025 guidance reflects continued financial strain. ACHC management now expects adjusted EPS between $2.35 and $2.45, down from $2.45-$2.65 previously. Adjusted EBITDA is forecast at $650–$660 million, lower than the prior $675–$700 million range. Operating cash flow guidance was lowered to $400 to $425 million.

The downgrades highlight cost pressures and slower recovery momentum across operations. Management still plans capital expenditures of $505–$515 million for 2025, suggesting limited flexibility despite moderated earnings expectations. With softer guidance and rising expenses, near-term growth prospects remain constrained.

ACHC: Relative Weakness & A Broken Chart

ACHC shares are -64.53% year-to-date, dramatically underperforming the major market indices and exhibiting troubling relative weakness. Meanwhile, shares are well below their 200-day moving average. As Paul Tudor Jones warns, "Nothing good happens below the 200-day moving average."

Bottom Line

Overall, Acadia Healthcare faces a difficult near-term outlook as legal and regulatory overhangs, rising cost pressures, and sharply weakening earnings momentum weigh on operations. With guidance moving lower, margins under stress, and the stock showing pronounced technical weakness, ACHC remains challenged on both fundamental and market fronts.

Additional content:

3 Rare Earth Stocks to Watch in 2026

The rare earth industry in the U.S. is rapidly gaining strategic and economic importance as the country seeks to reduce its long-standing dependence on China-controlled supply chains. To this end, rare earth elements are at the center of new federal policies, industrial investments and emerging domestic production initiatives aimed at securing a more resilient and sovereign supply of infrastructure.

To capitalize on these trends, U.S. producers like American Resources Corp., MP Materials Corp. and USA Rare Earth, Inc. are beginning to scale extraction and processing capabilities, while government partnerships and funding are driving expanded capacity and market momentum.

Federal Push for a Mine-to-Magnet Supply Chain

The U.S. rare earth sector is shaped by a mix of economic, strategic and geopolitical priorities, as policymakers and industry work to reduce reliance on China's dominance in mining, processing and magnet manufacturing. Rare earths are used in electric vehicles, defense systems, renewable energy technologies, semiconductors and advanced electronics. Rare earths are classified as critical minerals in the 2025 U.S. critical minerals list, reflecting the significant economic and national security risks posed by supply disruptions, particularly for defense and advanced technologies.

The federal government has launched major funding and policy initiatives to develop a domestic "mine-to-magnet" supply chain. These include funding to support extraction, processing and recovery from unconventional sources such as e-waste and mine tailings to improving commercial viability and reducing foreign dependence.

Fiscal and tax incentives, such as enhanced tax credits for domestic production under the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit, further support investment in upstream and downstream processing infrastructure.

At the policy and diplomatic level, the U.S. is also undertaking international initiatives, such as a rare earth supply cooperation agreement with Japan to diversify sources, attract allied investment and build resilient markets beyond China's influence.

This confluence of government funding, regulatory incentives and strategic partnerships reflects a broader national strategy to develop a secure rare earth supply chain, reduce geopolitical risk and position U.S. industry for long-term growth in critical tech and defense sectors.

3 Rare Earth Stocks to Watch for Upside in 2026

American Resources' rare-earth capabilities are centered on ReElement Technologies, which is developing one of the few scalable rare earth refining and separation platforms in the United States. ReElement employs proprietary chromatographic separation and purification technology to process rare earth materials from diverse feedstocks—including recycled magnets, electronics scrap, coal waste concentrates and ore—into ultra-high-purity rare earth oxides such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, typically achieving purity levels above 99.5%–99.99%.

American Resources is advancing its ReElement Technologies refining operations in Indiana, with facilities designed to produce thousands of metric tons per year of magnet-grade rare earths. Early phases target production in the low thousands of MT, alongside broader ambitions in lithium and battery materials, potentially driving revenue growth as capacity scales through 2026–2027.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AREC's current-year loss is pegged at 34 cents per share, indicating a 35% year-over-year increase. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 and 2026 earnings has been revised higher over the past seven days. AREC carries a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). The stock gained 153.6% in the past six months. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) here.

MP Materials has one of the most advanced rare-earth platforms in the Western Hemisphere, anchored by its Mountain Pass mine and processing facility in California—the only large-scale integrated rare-earth operation in the United States. The company produces and refines key materials, particularly neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide, which is critical for permanent magnets used in EVs, wind turbines and defense applications. It is also expanding downstream into magnet manufacturing, including its Texas facility, to build a fully integrated U.S. ore-to-magnet supply chain, supported by strategic partnerships and government backing to reduce reliance on foreign sources.

MP Materials is well-positioned for long-term growth as it expands both rare earth production and vertical integration. In the third quarter of 2025, the company produced a record 721 metric tons (MT) of NdPr oxide and is targeting an eventual 60,000 MT of annual rare earth oxide (REO) capacity, while simultaneously developing downstream magnet manufacturing. Strategic partnerships and government support are expected to enhance revenue and margins.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MP's current fiscal-year loss is 22 cents per share, implying a 50% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average earnings surprise being 8.03%. MP currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The stock is up 47.6% in the past six months.

USA Rare Earth is strengthening its position as a key player in building a domestic U.S. rare earth supply chain through its advancing mine-to-magnet capabilities. The company controls the Round Top deposit in Texas, one of the largest U.S. sources of heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium. It has demonstrated progress in rare earth separation and oxide production using proprietary processing technologies, while simultaneously advancing downstream integration. It is developing a rare earth magnet facility in Oklahoma, where it has begun producing sintered magnets and supporting customer prototyping and R&D.

USA Rare Earth's long-term growth is underpinned by its vertically integrated mine-to-magnet strategy and expanding domestic capabilities. Development of the Round Top heavy rare earth project provides a long-duration U.S. source of critical elements such as dysprosium and terbium, while the Oklahoma magnet manufacturing facility positions the company to capture near- and mid-term demand from defense, EV and clean energy markets. The acquisition of Less Common Metals adds rare earth metal and alloy production, strengthening integration and margins.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for USAR's current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at 71 cents per share, indicating a 6% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average earnings surprise being 11.11%. The stock is up 10.5% in the past six months. USAR carries a Zacks Rank #3.

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