Take the Zacks Approach to Beat the Market: UnitedHealth, Ovid, Micron in Focus

Last Friday, the three most widely followed benchmark indexes closed a winning week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones gained 2.1%, 1.7% and 1.6%, respectively.

Markets closed out the week with gains as investors weighed easing geopolitical tensions, encouraging economic data and dovish policy signals. Optimism grew after former President Donald Trump hinted that tariffs on Chinese goods might be scaled back, fueling hopes of progress in trade relations.

Meanwhile, better-than-expected retail sales and steady jobless claims highlighted the economy’s resilience despite global uncertainties. Expectations that the Fed would maintain a supportive monetary stance also lifted sentiment.

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:

Ovid Therapeutics and XOMA Royalty Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade

Shares of Ovid Therapeutics Inc. OVID have gained 76.1% (versus the S&P 500’s 3% increase) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on August 15.

Another stock, XOMA Royalty Corporation XOMA, which was upgraded to a Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on August 14, has returned 12.3% (versus the S&P 500’s 3% increase) since then.

A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank # 1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +8.64% in 2025 (through September 1^st) vs. +7.60% for the S&P 500 index.

This portfolio returned +22.4% in 2024, vs. +28% for the S&P 500 index and +19.9% for the equal-weight version of the S&P 500 index.

This hypothetical portfolio returned +20.65% in 2023 vs. +24.83% for the S&P 500 index and +15% for the equal-weight S&P 500 index.

The Zacks Model Portfolio - consisting of Zacks Rank #1 stocks – has outperformed the S&P index by more than 12 percentage points since 1988 (through September 1^st, 2025, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks generated an annualized average return of +23.8% vs. +11.3% for the S&P 500 index).

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

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

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

Zacks Recommendation Upgrades Micron and HeartCore

Shares of Micron Technology, Inc. MU and HeartCore Enterprises, Inc. HTCR have surged 63.8% (versus the S&P 500’s 3.3% rise) and 33% (versus the S&P 500’s 3.9% rise), respectively, since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on August 19 and August 20.

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 Intellia Therapeutics, HCA Healthcare Shoot Up

Shares of Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. NTLA, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have gained 105.2% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on March 7, 2023. Another Focus-List holding, HCA Healthcare, Inc. HCA, which was added to the portfolio on January 7, 2019, has returned 18% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has advanced 5.9% over this period. 

The 50-stock Focus List portfolio returned 18.3% in 2025 (through September 30th, 2025) vs. +14.8% for the S&P 500 index and +9.9% 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%.

The portfolio leads the broader market over the preceding one, three, five and ‘since 2004’ periods. These annualized return comparisons are: +16.96% for the Focus List vs. +17.60% for the index over the one-year period, +26.77% vs. +24.94% over the 3-year period, +17.38% vs. +14.48% over the 5-year period, and +12.13% vs. +10.71% since 2004.

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 UnitedHealth & Monster Beverage Make Significant Gains

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated UNH, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 26.2% over the past 12 weeks. Monster Beverage Corporation MNST has followed UnitedHealth with 19% returns.

The Zacks Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy-and-Hold stocks, returned +0.20% in the second quarter of 2025 vs. the S&P 500 index’s +10.94% gain (SPY ETF). In the year-to-date period through June 30th, the portfolio returned +3.93% vs. +6.20% 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 Public Storage and PepsiCo Outperform Peers   

Public Storage PSA, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 8.3% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, PepsiCo, Inc. PEP, has climbed 7.3% 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 Public Strorage’s dividend history here>>>

Check PepsiCo’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 -3.17% in 2025 Q2 vs. the S&P 500 index’s +10.94% gain and the Dividend Aristocrats ETF’s (NOBL) -0.09% return. Year-to-date (through June 30^th), the portfolio returned +2.38% vs. +2.18% gain for the Dividend Aristocrat 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 Goldman Sachs Delivers Solid Returns

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. GS, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025, has jumped 31.1% year to date compared with the S&P 500 Index’s 13.4% increase.

The Top 10 portfolio returned +26.47% this year (through the end of September 2025) vs. +14.84% for the S&P 500 index and +9.9% 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.

Since 2012, the Top 10 portfolio has produced a cumulative return of +2,553.1% through the end of September 2025 vs. +545.2% for the S&P 500 index and +396.4% for the equal-weight version of the index. The portfolio has produced an average return of +26.6% in the period 2012 through September 30, 2025, vs. +13.1% for the S&P 500 index and +10.5% for the equal-weight version of the index.

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

Zacks Investment Research