Lam Research and Helen of Troy have been highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 27, 2025 – Zacks Equity Research shares Lam Research Corp. LRCX as the Bull of the Day and Helen of Troy Ltd. HELE as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Intel Corp. INTC, NVIDIA Corp. NVDA and Microsoft Corp. MSFT.

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks.

Bull of the Day:

Lam Research Corp. recently beat again on earnings. This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) is expected to see double digit sales growth in Fiscal 2026 and Fiscal 2027.

Lam Research is a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. It’s equipment and services allow customers to build smaller and better performing devices.

Lam Research Beat for the 14^th Consecutive Quarter

On Oct 22, 2025, Lam Research reported its results for the quarter ending Sep 28, 2025 (the “September quarter”) and beat on the Zacks Consensus Estimate by $0.05. Earnings were $1.26 versus the consensus of $1.21.

This was the 14^th consecutive earnings beat. Lam Research has only missed once in the last 5 years. That’s impressive.

Revenue jumped 27.6% to $5.32 billion from $4.17 billion a year ago.

The regions of revenue were China at 43%, Taiwan at 19%, Korea at 15%, Japan at 10%, United States at 6%, Southeast Asia at 5% and Europe at 2%.

Gross margin as percentage of revenue rose to 50.6% in the quarter from 48% last year.

Analysts Are Bullish on Lam Research’s Next Two Years

The analysts liked what they heard in the earnings report. 8 estimates were revised higher for fiscal 2026 in the last week.

The fiscal 2026 Zacks Consensus rose to $4.68 from $4.53 which is earnings growth of 13%.

4 estimates were revised higher in the last 7 days for fiscal 2027 pushing the Zacks Consensus up to $5.44 from $5.08. That’s earnings growth of 16.1%.

Shares of Lam Research Break Out to New Highs

Shares of Lam Research are red hot. They have hit a new all-time high in 2025, gaining another 18.2% in the last month. Year to date they’re up 109.4%.

Lam Research is not cheap, but you’re paying for the growth. It has a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 32.4. A P/E over 20 is considered expensive.

However, revenue is expected to be up 11.9% in Fiscal 2026 and another 11.7% in Fiscal 2027.

It also pays a dividend, currently yielding 0.7%.

For investors looking for a red-hot technology stock with rising earnings estimates, Lam Research is one to keep on the short list.

Bear of the Day:

Helen of Troy Ltd. recently issued weak full year guidance as it struggles with tariffs and slower consumer demand. This Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) is trading near its 5-year lows.

Helen of Troy is a global consumer products company with a bunch of well-known brands including OXO, Hydro Flask, Osprey, Vicks, Braun, Honeywell, PUR, Hot Tools, Drybar and Curlsmith.

Helen of Troy Beat in the Fiscal Second Quarter of 2026

On Oct 9, 2025, Helen of Troy reported its fiscal second quarter 2026 results and beat on the Zacks Consensus Estimate by $0.05. It reported $0.59 versus the consensus of $0.54.

It was the first beat after missing the prior two quarters.

Net sales fell 8.9% to $431.8 million from $474.2 million a year ago. Both of its business segments declined.

Beauty & Wellness fell due to lower sales of thermometers, heaters, and hair appliances. Home & Outdoor saw a decrease in the insulated beverageware and home categories.

Gross profit also declined year-over-year to 44.2% from 45.6% due to a 200-basis point hit from the tariffs and some promotional expenses.

Analysts Are Bearish on Helen of Troy for This Year and Next

In its fiscal Q1 2026 earnings report, Helen of Troy only provided second quarter guidance, and not full year. But on Oct 9, 2025, it finally gave full year guidance. However, it was below the Zacks Consensus.

As a result, 2 estimates were cut for both fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 in the last month. For fiscal 2026, the cuts pushed the Zacks Consensus down to $4.29 from $4.62.

That’s a decline of 40.2% from fiscal 2025. But earnings were also down 19.5% in fiscal 2025.

The fiscal 2027 Zacks Consensus Estimate fell to $4.33 from $4.98. This is earnings growth of 0.9%.

Shares of Helen of Troy Fall to 5-Year Lows

Shares of Helen of Troy still haven’t found a bottom. It’s down 90.2% over the last 5 years but is still down 65.9% year-to-date.

It’s dirt cheap on a price-to-earnings (P/E) basis. It has a P/E of 4.75. A P/E under 10 is considered dirt cheap. But sometimes a P/E can be too low and it indicates a trap.

Helen of Troy is not paying a dividend at this time. It has also put in a slew of things to turn the business around including suspension of projects and capital expenditures that are not critical.

It had paused most project and travel expenses in Q1 and that remains in place.

While it is working on mitigating some of the tariffs, it has resumed a targeted purchases of inventory from China in the short term. However, it’s expecting softer consumer demand in the short to intermediate term.

Given all the uncertainty, investors might want to wait on the sidelines for improvement in sales and earnings.

Additional content:

Intel’s Strong Q3 Earnings Fuel Turnaround Hopes: Time to Buy?

Intel Corp. has faced challenges to regain its footing in the semiconductor industry for a long time. However, with a return to profitability in the latest quarter and Intel’s partnership with the industry’s leading players to boost its business, the key question is whether these developments will lead to a lasting turnaround, and whether it is now the right time to invest in the stock. Let’s find out.

Intel’s Q3 Earnings Are Out – The Company Reports a Profit

Intel announced third-quarter revenues of $13.7 billion, up 3% year over year, according to the company’s press release. This reflects a notable boost in demand for Intel’s Core x86 processors for personal computers (PCs).

Intel’s products group division brought in $12.7 billion in revenue for the third quarter, a 3% increase from the same period last year. Within this division, the Client Computing Group, which includes PCs and laptops, earned $8.5 billion, up 5% from the previous year.

Intel’s net income totaled $4.1 billion, or 90 cents a share, for the three months ended in September, reversing a net loss of $16.6 billion, or $3.88 a share, in the year-ago quarter. CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s initiatives to cut headcounts and halt certain projects proved effective, improving Intel’s profit margins.

NVIDIA Deal to Boost Intel’s Data Center and AI Growth

In the third quarter, the Data Center and AI division, part of the products group, generated $4.1 billion in revenue, a 1% decrease year over year. However, Intel expects its recent deal with NVIDIA Corp. to jump-start growth in its data center central processors (CPU) business.

Both Intel and NVIDIA are collaborating to develop next-generation data center and PC products for hyperscalers and the broader consumer market. The partnership will integrate Intel’s x86 ecosystem with NVIDIA’s artificial intelligence (AI) and accelerated computing platforms via NVIDIA NVLink, as noted in the press release.

Intel’s Foundry Business to Benefit From Microsoft Tie-Up

In the third quarter, Intel’s foundry business produced $4.2 billion in revenue, a 2% decline from the previous year. Looking ahead, Microsoft Corp. is expected to leverage Intel’s foundry to develop its own advanced AI chips, which could significantly expand this division.

Microsoft may decide to use Intel’s 18A or 18A-P process for its next in-house AI chip. Nevertheless, Intel has already strengthened its partnership with Microsoft through Windows ML collaboration and Intel vPro integration with Microsoft Intune, as mentioned in the press release.

Here's How to Trade Intel Stock Now

Intel’s strong third-quarter performance and its partnerships with NVIDIA and Microsoft to strengthen its data center and foundry business provide compelling reasons for stakeholders to remain invested in the stock.

Confidence is further bolstered by Softbank and the Trump administration’s $2 billion and $8.9 billion investment, respectively, in Intel, aimed at strengthening the company’s efforts to develop a resilient semiconductor supply chain in the United States.

However, despite the recent upbeat financial performance, Intel’s lofty valuation remains difficult to justify, which could be a potential headwind for the stock in the long run. Based on the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, Intel trades at 327.75 times forward earnings compared with the Semiconductor - General industry’s forward earnings multiple of 45.70.

Therefore, new investors should wait for clear signs of a genuine turnaround before placing bets on INTC stock. Intel currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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