The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Advanced Micro Devices, Goldman Sachs, Lam Research, AstroNova and Blue Dolphin

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – December 29, 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: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. GS, Lam Research Corp. LRCX, AstroNova, Inc. ALOT and Blue Dolphin Energy Co. BDCO.

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Analyst Reports for AMD, Goldman Sachs and Lam Research

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 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and Lam Research Corp., as well as two micro-cap stocks, AstroNova, Inc. and Blue Dolphin Energy Co. These research reports have been hand-picked from roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

You can see all of today’s research reports here >>>

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You can read today's AWS here >>> Full-Day in the Markets on a Recently Declared Federal Holiday

Today's Featured Research Reports

Advanced Micro Devices’ shares have outperformed the Zacks Computer – Integrated Systems industry over the last six months (+49.5% vs. +47.0%). The Zacks analyst believes AMD is benefiting from rising demand for EPYC processors as cloud, enterprise and AI-driven workloads expand. Growing adoption by major hyperscalers, increased use of Instinct accelerators and the launch of the MI350 series have strengthened AMD’s system-level capabilities, supported by a broad ecosystem of cloud and AI partners.

However, the company faces intense competition from NVIDIA in AI accelerators and from Intel in CPUs, whose entrenched ecosystems and strong market positions continue to pressure its growth prospects.

(You can read the full research report on Advanced Micro Devices here >>>)

Goldman Sachs’ shares have outperformed the Zacks Financial – Investment Bank industry over the past year (+58.1% vs. +39.2%). The Zacks analyst believes that the company has shown solid momentum, supported by strong execution in investment banking and trading. The firm is refocusing on its core businesses, scaling back consumer banking, and expanding through strategic acquisitions in private equity credit and global alternatives, which should strengthen its global presence and revenue mix.

Yet heavy reliance on overseas markets raises concerns amid geopolitical uncertainty. Rising expenses from ongoing technology investments and higher transaction-related costs during periods of strong client activity also remain key challenges.

(You can read the full research report on Goldman Sachs here >>>)

Lam Research’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Electronics – Semiconductors industry over the past six months (+82.5% vs. +25.3%). The Zacks analyst believes that the company is benefiting from its strength in 3D DRAM and advanced packaging, with rising etch and deposition intensity driven by more complex 3D architectures. Improving memory spending, solid demand for high-bandwidth memory and continued investments in research and development position the company well to capitalize on higher wafer fab equipment demand.

However, spending on mature semiconductor nodes is likely to remain weak in the near term. Ongoing trade and tariff tensions between the United States and China also remain a key risk to its outlook.

(You can read the full research report on Lam Research here >>>)

AstroNova’s shares have underperformed the Zacks Technology Services industry over the past year (-34.2% vs. +22.0%). The Zacks analyst believes that execution challenges persist for the company, including margin pressure from inventory buildup, volatility in the Product ID segment, sluggish Aerospace OEM demand and weak cash conversion, despite the stock trading well below peer valuations.

Yet AstroNova is repositioning for margin expansion by shifting toward higher-margin ToughWriter 640 printers, supported by cost reductions, lower debt and proprietary printhead technology that enables vertical integration and recurring revenue.

(You can read the full research report on AstroNova here >>>)

Blue Dolphin Energy’s shares have underperformed the Zacks Oil and Gas – Exploration and Production – United States industry over the last six months (-24.0% vs. -12.5%). The Zacks analyst believes severe liquidity stress, weakening profitability, refinancing risk and governance concerns tied to affiliate dependence weigh heavily on the company. Exposure to demand softness, crude price volatility, inventory risks and limited capital access further threaten its long-term viability.

However, the company continues to operate its refining business with support from affiliated entities, which has helped sustain operations in a difficult industry environment.

(You can read the full research report on Blue Dolphin here >>>)

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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.

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