Beat the Market Like Zacks: Amgen, FirstCash, Delek in Focus

Last Friday, the three benchmark Wall Street indexes closed a losing week. The S&P 500 fell 1.43%, the Nasdaq declined 2.05% and the Dow dropped 0.85%. Rising bond yields pressured equities, particularly technology and growth stocks, while mixed corporate results added to caution.

Investors also remained concerned about the economic impact of the Iran conflict, with higher oil prices fueling inflation worries. The resulting uncertainty over interest rates further weighed on sentiment as Treasury yields climbed, with the 30-year yield reaching its highest level since 2007.

Meanwhile, investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of Nvidia’s earnings and Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech, seeking clues about the outlook for AI spending and monetary policy.

Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market. 

As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action.

Here are some of our key achievements:

BYD and HBT Financial Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade

Shares of BYD Company Limited BYDDY have gained 26.5% (versus the S&P 500’s 3.4% increase) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on June 30.

Another stock, HBT Financial, Inc. HBT, which was also upgraded to a Rank #2 on June 30, has returned 12.2% since then.

A portfolio of Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks has outperformed the S&P 500 index by 5.7 percentage points this year. Through July 6^th this year, the Zacks #1 Rank portfolio returned +15.3%, which compares to a +9.7% gain for the S&P 500 index and a +12.6% gain for the equal-weight version of the index in the same time period.

Since its inception in 1988, this portfolio of Zacks #1 Rank stocks has outperformed the market by 12.4 percentage points. The average annual return for this portfolio of Zacks # 1 Rank stocks since inception in 1988 was +23.9% through July 6^th, which compared to a +11.6% gain for the S&P 500 index and a +11.4% gain for the equal-weight version of the index.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>>

Check BYD’s historical EPS and Sales here>>>

Check HBT’s historical EPS and Sales here>>>

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Zacks Recommendation Upgrades Delek US and Marcus Corp.

Shares of Delek US Holdings, Inc. DK and The Marcus Corporation MCS have surged 51.5% (versus the S&P 500’s 4.5% rise) and 24.6% (versus the S&P 500’s 3.4% rise), since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on June 26 and June 30, respectively.

While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions.

The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups — Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model.

To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover, click here>>>

Zacks Focus List Stocks Axon, Virtu Shoot Up

Shares of Axon Enterprise, Inc. AXON, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have soared 62.6% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on June 3, 2020. Another Focus-List holding, Virtu Financial, Inc. VIRT, which was added to the list on July 31, 2023, has returned 29.5% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has advanced 2.7% over this period. 

The 50-stock Focus List portfolio returned +14.49% in the year-to-date period (through July 31, 2026) vs. +10.14% for the S&P 500 index and +13.26% for the equal-weight version of the index.

The portfolio returned +22.1% in 2025 vs. +17.9% for the S&P 500 index and +11.4% for the equal-weight version of the index.

The Zacks Focus List portfolio returned +18.41% in 2024 vs. +25.04% for the S&P 500 index and +13% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. The portfolio had returned +29.54% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index and +13.61% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index. In 2022, the portfolio returned -15.2% vs. the S&P 500 index’s -17.96%.

Through July 31, 2026, the portfolio’s rolling returns on a one-year, three-year, five-year, ten-year, and since 2004 have been +26.1% (vs. +16.7% for the S&P 500 index), +21% (vs. +19.3%), +12.9% (vs. +12.9%), +16.4% (vs. +15.1%) and +12.5% vs. (+10.9%), respectively.

Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium. Gain full access now >>

Zacks ECAP Stocks Amgen & Paychex Gain Significantly

Amgen Inc. AMGN, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 29.5% over the past 12 weeks. Paychex, Inc. PAYX followed Amgen with 28.3% returns.

The Zacks Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy-and-Hold stocks, returned -9.4% in the first half of 2026 (through June 30^th) vs. +10.2% for the S&P 500 index.

For 2025, the portfolio returned -1.67% vs. +17.9% gain for the S&P 500 index. For the year 2024, the portfolio returned +16.26% vs. +24.89% for the S&P 500 index (SPY ETF). In 2023, the portfolio returned +12.17% vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index. The portfolio returned -4.7% in 2022 vs. the S&P 500 index’s -17.96%.

With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500.

The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research. Click here to schedule a demo.

Zacks ECDP Stocks Quest & Automatic Data Processing Outperform Peers

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated DGX, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 25.2% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP, has climbed 24.6% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid heightened market volatility contributed to this performance.

Check Quest Diagnostics’ dividend history here>>>  

Check Automatic Data’s dividend history here>>>

With an extremely low beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk.

The Zacks Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP) returned -1.7% in the first half of 2026 (through June 30^th) vs. +10.2% for the S&P 500 index and +9.03% for the Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL).

The portfolio returned -0.6% in 2025 vs. a +6.8% gain for the Dividend Aristocrats ETF. For the full year 2024, the portfolio returned +6.95% vs. +24.89% for the S&P 500 index and +6.72% for NOBL. The portfolio returned -0.9% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index and +8.11% for NOBL. The portfolio returned -2.3% in 2022 vs. -17.96% for the S&P 500 index and -8.34% for NOBL.

Click here to access this portfolio on Zacks Advisor Tools.  

Zacks Top 10 Stock FirstCash Delivers Solid Returns

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. FCFS, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025, has jumped 43.7% since January 5, 2026, compared with the S&P 500 Index’s 12.1% increase.

The Top 10 portfolio returned +14.63% in the year-to-date 2026 period (through July 31st) vs. +9.90% for the S&P 500 index and +12.47% for the equal-weight version of the index.

The Top 10 portfolio returned +22.6% in 2025 vs. +17.9% for the S&P 500 index and +11.4% for the equal-weight version of the index.

The Top 10 portfolio returned +62.98% in 2024, vs. +25.04% for the S&P 500 index and +13% for the equal-weight version of the index. The portfolio had returned +25.15% in 2023 vs. +26.28% for the S&P 500 index.

Through the end of July 2026, the Top 10 portfolio has produced a cumulative return of +2,870.1% since 2012 vs. +628.7% for the S&P 500 index and +470% for the equal-weight version of the index. The portfolio has produced an average annual return of +25.9% in the period 2012 through July 31, 2026, vs. +13.5% for the S&P 500 index and +11.2% for the equal-weight version of the index.

Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here

The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research