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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Berkshire, Roche Holding, RTX, The Eastern and AmeriServ
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – August 26 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks and ETFs featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B - Free Report) , Roche Holding AG (RHHBY - Free Report) , RTX Corp. (RTX - Free Report) , The Eastern Co. (EML - Free Report) and AmeriServ Financial, Inc. (ASRV - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:
Top Stock Reports for Berkshire Hathaway, Roche and RTX
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 Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Roche Holding AG and RTX Corp., as well as two micro-cap stocks The Eastern Co. and AmeriServ Financial, Inc. 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.
Shares of Berkshire Hathaway have gained +2.5% over the past year against the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry’s gain of +4.4%. The company benefits from diversified businesses, disciplined underwriting and a large liquidity base that support durable earnings capacity and flexible capital allocation.
Insurance float remains a low-cost funding source, while manufacturing, services, BNSF and Berkshire Hathaway Energy broaden the earnings mix. Recent acquisitions and renewed share repurchases show multiple avenues for deploying capital. Still, insurance results remain exposed to catastrophe losses and rising claim frequency and severity.
Lower short-term rates are reducing insurance investment income, while BNSF and BHE require substantial capital spending. Greg Abel is now leading the company, leaving execution under the new leadership structure as an important watchpoint. These offsets support an overall balanced risk-reward profile and a Neutral view.
Roche’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year (+45.2% vs. +43.7%). The company’s performance in the first half was weighed down by unfavorable foreign-exchange movements. Nonetheless, the company’s underlying operational performance remained solid.
Strong growth from key products helped offset declining revenues from legacy drugs. Multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus and ophthalmology drug Vabysmo continued their stellar performances. Growth in hemophilia treatment Hemlibra and breast cancer drug Phesgo also boosted the top line. Roche has a strong and diversified pipeline spanning multiple therapeutic modalities.
A tentative approval of breast cancer candidate giredestrant could serve as a meaningful catalyst for the stock. Roche is also targeting acquisitions, collaborations and expansion into newer therapeutic areas such as obesity to revive long-term growth, but pipeline and regulatory setbacks are headwinds.
Shares of RTX have outperformed the Zacks Aerospace - Defense industry over the past year (+33% vs. -3.1%). The company’s performance is supported by a steady recovery in commercial aerospace, strong defense orders and robust backlog. Rising global air traffic, higher commercial OEM and aftermarket sales and strong demand for large commercial engines should aid growth.
RTX’s defense business remains well-positioned, backed by strong bookings from the Pentagon and foreign allies. The company ended the second quarter of 2026 with a backlog of $289 billion. It’s cash generation funds expansion, innovation and debt reduction.
However, persistent supply-chain disruptions remain a concern. Aircraft engine availability issues may affect production and deliveries. Tariff-related uncertainty and expanded Russia-linked sanctions also pose risks to RTX’s operations. We have a Neutral rating on RTX shares.
Eastern’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Security and Safety Services industry over the past year (+10.7% vs. -17.2%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $154.17 million enters the second half of 2026 with stronger revenue visibility, supported by a $126.2 million backlog, up 45% year over year. Improving Class 8 truck production should benefit Velvac and Eberhard, while Big 3’s automotive model launches and largely filled 2026 rack backlog provide another recovery driver.
The Sungear and Crown Precision acquisitions add aerospace and defense exposure, more than $18 million of backlog and roughly $20 million of annual revenue potential. Operating cash flow also improved to $12 million in the first half, supporting investment and working-capital needs.
However, first-half sales fell 11% to $121.5 million, operating profit declined to $3 million and gross margin contracted to 20.3%. Tariffs, higher inventories and leverage remain risks. Valuation is mixed, with EV/sales below peers but EV/EBITDA elevated versus its historical median.
Shares of AmeriServ Financial have outperformed the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry over the past year (+62.8% vs. +26.7%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $81.67 million has seen its net income increased by 179% to $4.5 million in the first half of 2026, while net interest margin expanded 24 basis points to 3.30%, aided by lower deposit costs and reduced reliance on expensive borrowings.
Management expects further margin improvement in the second half of 2026. Deposit growth, ample liquidity and an 80.5% loan-to-deposit ratio provide the company capacity to revive lending, while wealth-management fees and $2.8 billion of administered assets strengthen ASRV's fee-based revenues. Capital levels also support organic growth and dividends.
However, average loans fell 4% as CRE payoffs exceeded originations, potentially constraining interest-income growth. CRE remains a credit risk, while first-half operating expenses rose 7.2%. Increased securities duration also raises rate sensitivity. The stock trades at 0.66X book value versus 1.34X for the sub-industry.
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 access their live picks without cost or obligation.
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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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Berkshire, Roche Holding, RTX, The Eastern and AmeriServ
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – August 26 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks and ETFs featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B - Free Report) , Roche Holding AG (RHHBY - Free Report) , RTX Corp. (RTX - Free Report) , The Eastern Co. (EML - Free Report) and AmeriServ Financial, Inc. (ASRV - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:
Top Stock Reports for Berkshire Hathaway, Roche and RTX
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 Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Roche Holding AG and RTX Corp., as well as two micro-cap stocks The Eastern Co. and AmeriServ Financial, Inc. 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 >>>
Today's Featured Research Reports
Shares of Berkshire Hathaway have gained +2.5% over the past year against the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry’s gain of +4.4%. The company benefits from diversified businesses, disciplined underwriting and a large liquidity base that support durable earnings capacity and flexible capital allocation.
Insurance float remains a low-cost funding source, while manufacturing, services, BNSF and Berkshire Hathaway Energy broaden the earnings mix. Recent acquisitions and renewed share repurchases show multiple avenues for deploying capital. Still, insurance results remain exposed to catastrophe losses and rising claim frequency and severity.
Lower short-term rates are reducing insurance investment income, while BNSF and BHE require substantial capital spending. Greg Abel is now leading the company, leaving execution under the new leadership structure as an important watchpoint. These offsets support an overall balanced risk-reward profile and a Neutral view.
(You can read the full research report on Berkshire Hathaway here >>>)
Roche’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year (+45.2% vs. +43.7%). The company’s performance in the first half was weighed down by unfavorable foreign-exchange movements. Nonetheless, the company’s underlying operational performance remained solid.
Strong growth from key products helped offset declining revenues from legacy drugs. Multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus and ophthalmology drug Vabysmo continued their stellar performances. Growth in hemophilia treatment Hemlibra and breast cancer drug Phesgo also boosted the top line. Roche has a strong and diversified pipeline spanning multiple therapeutic modalities.
A tentative approval of breast cancer candidate giredestrant could serve as a meaningful catalyst for the stock. Roche is also targeting acquisitions, collaborations and expansion into newer therapeutic areas such as obesity to revive long-term growth, but pipeline and regulatory setbacks are headwinds.
(You can read the full research report on Roche here >>>)
Shares of RTX have outperformed the Zacks Aerospace - Defense industry over the past year (+33% vs. -3.1%). The company’s performance is supported by a steady recovery in commercial aerospace, strong defense orders and robust backlog. Rising global air traffic, higher commercial OEM and aftermarket sales and strong demand for large commercial engines should aid growth.
RTX’s defense business remains well-positioned, backed by strong bookings from the Pentagon and foreign allies. The company ended the second quarter of 2026 with a backlog of $289 billion. It’s cash generation funds expansion, innovation and debt reduction.
However, persistent supply-chain disruptions remain a concern. Aircraft engine availability issues may affect production and deliveries. Tariff-related uncertainty and expanded Russia-linked sanctions also pose risks to RTX’s operations. We have a Neutral rating on RTX shares.
(You can read the full research report on RTX here >>>)
Eastern’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Security and Safety Services industry over the past year (+10.7% vs. -17.2%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $154.17 million enters the second half of 2026 with stronger revenue visibility, supported by a $126.2 million backlog, up 45% year over year. Improving Class 8 truck production should benefit Velvac and Eberhard, while Big 3’s automotive model launches and largely filled 2026 rack backlog provide another recovery driver.
The Sungear and Crown Precision acquisitions add aerospace and defense exposure, more than $18 million of backlog and roughly $20 million of annual revenue potential. Operating cash flow also improved to $12 million in the first half, supporting investment and working-capital needs.
However, first-half sales fell 11% to $121.5 million, operating profit declined to $3 million and gross margin contracted to 20.3%. Tariffs, higher inventories and leverage remain risks. Valuation is mixed, with EV/sales below peers but EV/EBITDA elevated versus its historical median.
(You can read the full research report on Eastern here >>>)
Shares of AmeriServ Financial have outperformed the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry over the past year (+62.8% vs. +26.7%). This microcap company with a market capitalization of $81.67 million has seen its net income increased by 179% to $4.5 million in the first half of 2026, while net interest margin expanded 24 basis points to 3.30%, aided by lower deposit costs and reduced reliance on expensive borrowings.
Management expects further margin improvement in the second half of 2026. Deposit growth, ample liquidity and an 80.5% loan-to-deposit ratio provide the company capacity to revive lending, while wealth-management fees and $2.8 billion of administered assets strengthen ASRV's fee-based revenues. Capital levels also support organic growth and dividends.
However, average loans fell 4% as CRE payoffs exceeded originations, potentially constraining interest-income growth. CRE remains a credit risk, while first-half operating expenses rose 7.2%. Increased securities duration also raises rate sensitivity. The stock trades at 0.66X book value versus 1.34X for the sub-industry.
(You can read the full research report on AmeriServ Financial here >>>)
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
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 access their live picks without cost or obligation.
See Stocks Free >>
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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.