The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Walmart, Intuitive Surgical, Lam Research and BV Financial

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – November 20, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks 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: Walmart Inc. WMT, Intuitive Surgical, Inc. ISRG, Lam Research Corp. LRCX and BV Financial, Inc. BVFL.Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:Top Stock Reports for Walmart, Intuitive Surgical and Lam ResearchThe 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 Walmart Inc., Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and Lam Research Corp., as well as a micro-cap stock BV 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.Ahead of Wall StreetThe daily 'Ahead of Wall Street' article is a must-read for all investors who would like to be ready for that day's trading action. The article comes out before the market opens, attempting to make sense of that morning's economic releases and how they will affect that day's market action. You can read this article for free on our home page and can actually sign up there to get an email notification as this article comes out each morning.Today's Featured Research ReportsShares of Walmart have gained +11.7% over the year-to-date period against the Zacks Retail - Supermarkets industry’s gain of +13.2%. The company is benefiting from the inherent strength of its highly diversified business model. The company's strong omnichannel strategy has boosted traffic at physical stores and digital platforms.Walmart’s focus on improving delivery services is successful, leading to steady grocery market-share gains. Upsides like these, along with growth in newer ventures like advertising and membership, fueled second-quarter fiscal 2026 results, wherein earnings and revenues increased year over year, and e-commerce sales surged.For the fiscal third quarter, management expects consolidated net sales growth of 3.75-4.75% at cc. However, the company has been witnessing deleveraged operating expenses for a while now. In addition, tariff-related woes remain concerning.Intuitive Surgical’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Medical - Instruments industry over the year-to-date (+6.6% vs. +0.8%). The company delivered a strong third-quarter, beating revenue and EPS estimates. The da Vinci 5 system gained momentum with 240 U.S. placements, raising its installed base to 929, alongside approvals in Europe and Japan for phased rollout.Utilization surpassed the Xi platform, supported by force feedback and Case Insights, while rising trade-ins highlighted upgrade demand. Global procedures grew 19% year over year, with 16% growth in the U.S. and 24% OUS, driven by benign general and non-urology surgeries in India, Korea, and distributor markets. System placements totaled 427, showing strong demand.However, gross margin slipped on higher costs and tariffs, while OUS markets remain pressured by budget constraints. Medicaid policy uncertainty is a risk, but ISRG raised 2025 growth guidance to 17–17.5% and margins to 67–67.5%.Shares of Lam Research have outperformed the Zacks Electronics - Semiconductors industry over the year-to-date (+109.3% vs. +35.2%). The company is riding on its strength across 3D DRAM and advanced packaging technologies. Growing etch and deposition intensity owing to increasing technology inflections in 3D architectures is a plus.A rebound in the System business due to improving memory spending is an upside. Strategic investments in research and development activities position it well to capitalize on the growing wafer fab equipment (WFE) spending. Foundry/logic, DRAM and NAND investments are expected to be higher year over year.Solid demand related to high-bandwidth memory is a plus. The Zacks analyst model estimates suggest total revenues are expected to witness a CAGR of 8.5% through fiscal 2026 to 2028. However, global spending on mature nodes is likely to remain soft in the near term. Growing trade and tariff tensions between the United States and China are a concern.BV Financial’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry over the past year (+3.9% vs. -5.5%). This microcap company with market capitalization of $152.35 million offers a balanced risk/reward profile, supported by disciplined loan growth, robust capital management, and a conservative balance sheet. Loans reached $746.1 million in Q3 2025, driven by commercial and CRE lending, while delinquencies remained low at 0.47%. An $8.2 million allowance for credit losses underscores its underwriting strength.BV Financial returned $18 million via buybacks, boosting EPS and book value per share, while eliminating $15 million in FHLB debt, reducing funding risk. Liquidity remains strong with $63.5 million in cash.However, rising deposit costs (+$7.9 million interest expense YTD), operating expense inflation (+29% in comp), and heavy CRE concentration (52.7% of loans) pose earnings risks. Weak fee income and limited digital treasury services constrain revenue diversification. Shares trade at a discount (0.89x P/B), underperforming sector averages.Free: Instant Access to Zacks' Market-Crushing StrategiesSince 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 >>support@zacks.comhttps://www.zacks.comPast 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.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG): Free Stock Analysis Report Lam Research Corporation (LRCX): Free Stock Analysis Report BV Financial, Inc. (BVFL): Get Free ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks