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Riley Exploration Permian and FitLife Brands have been highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day
Read MoreHide Full Article
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – April 21, 2026 – Zacks Equity Research shares Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. (REPX - Free Report) as the Bull of the Day and FitLife Brands, Inc. (FTLF - Free Report) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on —Realty Income’s (O - Free Report) , Simon Property Group (SPG - Free Report) and Kimco Realty (KIM - Free Report) .
Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. is seeing soaring earnings estimates as oil prices remain elevated due to the Iran War. This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) is expected to grow earnings by 32% this year but remains a cheap stock.
Riley Permian is an independent oil and natural gas driller focused on the Permian Basin. The majority of its acreage is located in Yoakum County, Texas, and Eddy County, New Mexico.
It’s a small cap producer with a market cap of $721 million. It aims to generate sustainable free cash flow and maximize returns to shareholders.
Riley Permian Pays an Attractive Dividend
On Apr 15, 2026, Riley Perman announced its Board of Directors had approved a $0.40 per share dividend payable on May 13, 2026, to stockholders of record as of Apr 29, 2026.
This is an annual dividend of $1.60 per share, which is yielding a generous 4.8%.
Analysts Raise Riley Permian Earnings Estimates as Oil Soars
Riley Permian will report its first quarter 2026 results on May 6, 2026, after the market closes. But analysts have already been raising estimates as WTI oil soared due to the Iran War. The war started at the end of Feb 2026 so it will impact both the first and second quarter results.
It appears that oil prices will remain higher for longer and this means higher earnings for many of the North American oil producers, including Riley Permian.
Two estimates have been revised higher for 2026 in the last 30 days which has pushed the Zacks Consensus Estimate up to $6.84 from $4.13. That’s earnings growth of 32% as the company made $5.18 last year.
Analysts are bullish about 2027 as well. Two estimates have been revised higher for 2027 in the last month, pushing the Zacks Consensus up to $8.65. That’s another 26.4% in earnings growth.
Here’s what it looks like on the price and consensus chart. Oil producers had been struggling with low oil prices in the last few years but now there’s a sharp reversal higher in the earnings consensus.
Shares of Riley Permian Sell Off: Is it on Sale?
When the Iran War began, investors poured into the North American oil producer stocks because the price of oil was soaring over $100 a barrel. The stocks soared.
But over the last few weeks, many of the stocks, including Riley Permian, have sold off on every talk of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Here’s the one-month chart of Riley Permian compared to the S&P 500 ETF (VOO).
Riley Permian is dirt cheap. It has a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 4.9. A P/E under 10 is considered dirt cheap and under 5 means the Street is giving it away.
Other valuations are cheap as well. It has a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of just 1.2. A P/B under 3.0 usually indicates value.
In addition to paying a dividend, the company announced a $100 million share repurchase program in the fourth quarter of 2025. It bought back $4 million in shares under that program in Jan 2026.
If you’re looking for a way to play higher oil prices and want a North American producer which is shareholder friendly, then Riley Permian should be on your short list.
FitLife Brands, Inc. is seeing a slowdown in consumer spending on nutritional supplements and wellness products. This Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) is expected to see earnings decline in 2026.
FitLife Brands develops proprietary nutritional supplements and wellness products for health-conscious consumers. It markets more than 500 different products online and through various retail locations.
Some of its brands include Dr. Tobias, PMD, Siren Labs, MusclePharm, and Maritime Naturals.
FitLife Brands Sees Big Growth for Irwin on Amazon
On Aug 8, 2025, FitLife Brands acquired Irwin Naturals. It put Irwin products on Amazon in Oct 2025, where it began at zero sales. It scaled to approximately $0.5 million in the month of December.
Subsequent to the end of the fourth quarter 2025, Irwin revenue on Amazon continued to scale to approximately $0.8 million monthly. This was also at margins higher than their traditional wholesale business.
A key initiative for 2026 is to leverage Irwin’s sales team to cross-sell Irwin’s other brands across the wholesale channel.
Consumer Slows Down in 2026
FitLife Brands reported fourth quarter 2025 results on Apr 1, 2026, so it already had seen the results of the first few months of the new year.
“During our previous earnings call in November, I provided commentary about emerging weakness we were observing across our brand portfolio. During the first quarter of 2026, this weakness has persisted across most brands and channels,” said Dayton Judd, Chairman and CEO.
“From a macro environment perspective, given the backdrop of economic and political volatility, we know there are broad-based consumer confidence concerns, particularly for discretionary products,” he added.
Earnings Estimates are Slashed for 2026 and 2027
It shouldn’t be a surprise, given the company’s gloomy outlook on the consumer, that the earnings estimates have been cut.
FitLife is a small cap company with a market cap of just $87.5 million. Zacks only has estimates from one analyst.
That analyst cut the 2026 and 2027 earnings estimate in the last 30 days. For 2026, it fell to $0.86 from $1.62. That’s an earnings decline of 8.5% as FitLife made $0.94 in 2025.
The 2027 earnings consensus also fell to $1.19 from $1.82 in the prior month. But that’s an earnings gain of 38.4%.
However, both of these were big cuts to the estimates. Here’s what it looks like on the price and consensus chart.
Shares of FitLife Slide in 2026
Given all the uncertainty about the consumer this year, it’s not a surprise that the shares have slid in 2026. They’re at 52-week lows.
But FitLife is now cheap. It trades with a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.8. A P/E under 15 usually means a company has value.
It also has other attractive valuations like a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of just 2. A P/B ratio of 3.0 and under usually means a company is undervalued.
As of Dec 31, 2025, FitLife had $39.1 million outstanding on its term loan and $5.6 million outstanding on the revolver. FitLife’s cash was $1.6 million, giving it a total net debt of $43.1 million.
For investors looking to invest in a wellness company, it might be best to stay on the sidelines with FitLife Brands until the consumer starts buying again.
Additional content:
European Deal Flow Rises: Is Realty Income Scaling Smartly?
Realty Income’s European story is gaining weight. While some U.S. REITs still treat overseas markets carefully, Realty Income is presenting Europe as a repeatable source of net-lease deals, not an experiment. This matters because management said that Europe drove 2025 acquisition activity before U.S. momentum improved in the fourth quarter.
The base is already sizable. Realty Income has 618 European properties across nine countries with an 8.2-year weighted average lease term, generating about $1 billion of annualized base rent, and roughly 19% of companywide annualized base rent. It has invested more than $15 billion in the U.K. and continental European real estate since expanding internationally in 2019.
The appeal is structural, not temporary. Europe offers a bigger addressable market than the United States, a fragmented competitive field and attractive returns. In 2025, in total, Realty Income deployed $6.3 billion at a 7.3% initial weighted average cash yield, while fourth-quarter investment volume reached $2.4 billion at 7.1%, helped by opportunities.
Scaling smartly is not just about finding assets. It is also about funding them without pressuring returns. This is why the Apollo partnership matters. Apollo plans to invest $1 billion for a 49% stake in a joint venture holding 500 U.S. retail assets, giving Realty Income a capital source.
This flexibility could help Realty Income stay choosy in Europe rather than chase volume. The company now has a wider menu: public equity, private funds, GIC and Apollo capital. If European deal flow keeps rising, the test is whether management preserves spreads, underwriting discipline and portfolio quality while expanding across markets.
How Are Other Retail REITs Expanding?
Simon Property Group is expanding through a mix of redevelopment, acquisitions and selective international growth. In 2025, Simon Property opened Jakarta Premium Outlets in Indonesia, completed 23 major redevelopments, acquired about $2 billion of retail properties and bought the remaining 12% of Taubman Realty Group.
Kimco Realty is expanding in a more neighborhood-focused way. Kimco completed 21 redevelopment and anchor repositioning projects in 2025, added 657 multifamily entitlements to reach 14,196 units and bought the remaining 85% of Tanasbourne Village.
Simon Property is chasing scale and destination assets, while Kimco is leaning on grocery-anchored centers, mixed-use density and steady capital recycling.
O’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates
Shares of Realty Income have gained 15.5% so far in the year, underperforming the industry’s growth of 20.7%.
From a valuation standpoint, O trades at a forward 12-month price-to-FFO of 14.48, below the industry but ahead of its one-year median of 13.34. It carries a Value Score of D.
Over the past 30 days, estimates for O’s 2026 FFO per share have been tweaked marginally southward to $4.45, while estimates for 2027 have been revised upward to $4.60.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
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Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Riley Exploration Permian and FitLife Brands have been highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – April 21, 2026 – Zacks Equity Research shares Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. (REPX - Free Report) as the Bull of the Day and FitLife Brands, Inc. (FTLF - Free Report) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on —Realty Income’s (O - Free Report) , Simon Property Group (SPG - Free Report) and Kimco Realty (KIM - Free Report) .
Here is a synopsis of all three stocks:
Bull of the Day:
Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. is seeing soaring earnings estimates as oil prices remain elevated due to the Iran War. This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) is expected to grow earnings by 32% this year but remains a cheap stock.
Riley Permian is an independent oil and natural gas driller focused on the Permian Basin. The majority of its acreage is located in Yoakum County, Texas, and Eddy County, New Mexico.
It’s a small cap producer with a market cap of $721 million. It aims to generate sustainable free cash flow and maximize returns to shareholders.
Riley Permian Pays an Attractive Dividend
On Apr 15, 2026, Riley Perman announced its Board of Directors had approved a $0.40 per share dividend payable on May 13, 2026, to stockholders of record as of Apr 29, 2026.
This is an annual dividend of $1.60 per share, which is yielding a generous 4.8%.
Analysts Raise Riley Permian Earnings Estimates as Oil Soars
Riley Permian will report its first quarter 2026 results on May 6, 2026, after the market closes. But analysts have already been raising estimates as WTI oil soared due to the Iran War. The war started at the end of Feb 2026 so it will impact both the first and second quarter results.
It appears that oil prices will remain higher for longer and this means higher earnings for many of the North American oil producers, including Riley Permian.
Two estimates have been revised higher for 2026 in the last 30 days which has pushed the Zacks Consensus Estimate up to $6.84 from $4.13. That’s earnings growth of 32% as the company made $5.18 last year.
Analysts are bullish about 2027 as well. Two estimates have been revised higher for 2027 in the last month, pushing the Zacks Consensus up to $8.65. That’s another 26.4% in earnings growth.
Here’s what it looks like on the price and consensus chart. Oil producers had been struggling with low oil prices in the last few years but now there’s a sharp reversal higher in the earnings consensus.
Shares of Riley Permian Sell Off: Is it on Sale?
When the Iran War began, investors poured into the North American oil producer stocks because the price of oil was soaring over $100 a barrel. The stocks soared.
But over the last few weeks, many of the stocks, including Riley Permian, have sold off on every talk of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Here’s the one-month chart of Riley Permian compared to the S&P 500 ETF (VOO).
Riley Permian is dirt cheap. It has a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 4.9. A P/E under 10 is considered dirt cheap and under 5 means the Street is giving it away.
Other valuations are cheap as well. It has a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of just 1.2. A P/B under 3.0 usually indicates value.
In addition to paying a dividend, the company announced a $100 million share repurchase program in the fourth quarter of 2025. It bought back $4 million in shares under that program in Jan 2026.
If you’re looking for a way to play higher oil prices and want a North American producer which is shareholder friendly, then Riley Permian should be on your short list.
Bear of the Day:
FitLife Brands, Inc. is seeing a slowdown in consumer spending on nutritional supplements and wellness products. This Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) is expected to see earnings decline in 2026.
FitLife Brands develops proprietary nutritional supplements and wellness products for health-conscious consumers. It markets more than 500 different products online and through various retail locations.
Some of its brands include Dr. Tobias, PMD, Siren Labs, MusclePharm, and Maritime Naturals.
FitLife Brands Sees Big Growth for Irwin on Amazon
On Aug 8, 2025, FitLife Brands acquired Irwin Naturals. It put Irwin products on Amazon in Oct 2025, where it began at zero sales. It scaled to approximately $0.5 million in the month of December.
Subsequent to the end of the fourth quarter 2025, Irwin revenue on Amazon continued to scale to approximately $0.8 million monthly. This was also at margins higher than their traditional wholesale business.
A key initiative for 2026 is to leverage Irwin’s sales team to cross-sell Irwin’s other brands across the wholesale channel.
Consumer Slows Down in 2026
FitLife Brands reported fourth quarter 2025 results on Apr 1, 2026, so it already had seen the results of the first few months of the new year.
“During our previous earnings call in November, I provided commentary about emerging weakness we were observing across our brand portfolio. During the first quarter of 2026, this weakness has persisted across most brands and channels,” said Dayton Judd, Chairman and CEO.
“From a macro environment perspective, given the backdrop of economic and political volatility, we know there are broad-based consumer confidence concerns, particularly for discretionary products,” he added.
Earnings Estimates are Slashed for 2026 and 2027
It shouldn’t be a surprise, given the company’s gloomy outlook on the consumer, that the earnings estimates have been cut.
FitLife is a small cap company with a market cap of just $87.5 million. Zacks only has estimates from one analyst.
That analyst cut the 2026 and 2027 earnings estimate in the last 30 days. For 2026, it fell to $0.86 from $1.62. That’s an earnings decline of 8.5% as FitLife made $0.94 in 2025.
The 2027 earnings consensus also fell to $1.19 from $1.82 in the prior month. But that’s an earnings gain of 38.4%.
However, both of these were big cuts to the estimates. Here’s what it looks like on the price and consensus chart.
Shares of FitLife Slide in 2026
Given all the uncertainty about the consumer this year, it’s not a surprise that the shares have slid in 2026. They’re at 52-week lows.
But FitLife is now cheap. It trades with a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.8. A P/E under 15 usually means a company has value.
It also has other attractive valuations like a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of just 2. A P/B ratio of 3.0 and under usually means a company is undervalued.
As of Dec 31, 2025, FitLife had $39.1 million outstanding on its term loan and $5.6 million outstanding on the revolver. FitLife’s cash was $1.6 million, giving it a total net debt of $43.1 million.
For investors looking to invest in a wellness company, it might be best to stay on the sidelines with FitLife Brands until the consumer starts buying again.
Additional content:
European Deal Flow Rises: Is Realty Income Scaling Smartly?
Realty Income’s European story is gaining weight. While some U.S. REITs still treat overseas markets carefully, Realty Income is presenting Europe as a repeatable source of net-lease deals, not an experiment. This matters because management said that Europe drove 2025 acquisition activity before U.S. momentum improved in the fourth quarter.
The base is already sizable. Realty Income has 618 European properties across nine countries with an 8.2-year weighted average lease term, generating about $1 billion of annualized base rent, and roughly 19% of companywide annualized base rent. It has invested more than $15 billion in the U.K. and continental European real estate since expanding internationally in 2019.
The appeal is structural, not temporary. Europe offers a bigger addressable market than the United States, a fragmented competitive field and attractive returns. In 2025, in total, Realty Income deployed $6.3 billion at a 7.3% initial weighted average cash yield, while fourth-quarter investment volume reached $2.4 billion at 7.1%, helped by opportunities.
Scaling smartly is not just about finding assets. It is also about funding them without pressuring returns. This is why the Apollo partnership matters. Apollo plans to invest $1 billion for a 49% stake in a joint venture holding 500 U.S. retail assets, giving Realty Income a capital source.
This flexibility could help Realty Income stay choosy in Europe rather than chase volume. The company now has a wider menu: public equity, private funds, GIC and Apollo capital. If European deal flow keeps rising, the test is whether management preserves spreads, underwriting discipline and portfolio quality while expanding across markets.
How Are Other Retail REITs Expanding?
Simon Property Group is expanding through a mix of redevelopment, acquisitions and selective international growth. In 2025, Simon Property opened Jakarta Premium Outlets in Indonesia, completed 23 major redevelopments, acquired about $2 billion of retail properties and bought the remaining 12% of Taubman Realty Group.
Kimco Realty is expanding in a more neighborhood-focused way. Kimco completed 21 redevelopment and anchor repositioning projects in 2025, added 657 multifamily entitlements to reach 14,196 units and bought the remaining 85% of Tanasbourne Village.
Simon Property is chasing scale and destination assets, while Kimco is leaning on grocery-anchored centers, mixed-use density and steady capital recycling.
O’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates
Shares of Realty Income have gained 15.5% so far in the year, underperforming the industry’s growth of 20.7%.
From a valuation standpoint, O trades at a forward 12-month price-to-FFO of 14.48, below the industry but ahead of its one-year median of 13.34. It carries a Value Score of D.
Over the past 30 days, estimates for O’s 2026 FFO per share have been tweaked marginally southward to $4.45, while estimates for 2027 have been revised upward to $4.60.
At present, Realty Income carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
Free: Instant Access to Zacks' Market-Crushing Strategies
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.
Today you can tap into those powerful strategies – and the high-potential stocks they uncover – free. No strings attached.
Get all the details here >>
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Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.