Top Analyst Reports for Visa, AMD & Thermo Fisher

Friday, January 16, 2026

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 Visa Inc. (V), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO). These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

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

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The 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.

You can read today's AWS here >>> Pre-Markets Lower on Bank Earnings, Ahead of Bigger Week

Today's Featured Research Reports

Visa’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Financial Transaction Services industry over the past year (+3.1% vs. -12.5%). The company’s strong market position is underpinned by consistent volume-driven growth, acquisitions and technological leadership in digital payments. Expansion in cross-border volumes, rising transactions and investments in AI and stablecoin infrastructure enhance its future prospects. 

Total revenue rose 11% YoY in FY25, along with 13% cross-border growth. A robust financial position with ample liquidity and shareholder returns further supports long-term growth. However, it faces rising client incentives and expenses, which can affect margin growth. 

The Zacks analyst expects FY26 adjusted costs to rise nearly 11%. Regulatory pressures and potential legislative changes pose additional risks to its fee structure. While declining cash volumes align with its digital strategy, regional softness calls for monitoring. As such, the stock warrants a cautious stance.

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

Shares of AMD have gained +91.3% over the past year against the Zacks Computer - Integrated Systems industry’s gain of +91.7%. The company’s prospects are benefiting from strong demand for EPYC processors that power cloud and enterprise workloads. Emerging AI use cases and rapid adoption of agentic AI are generating demand for general-purpose compute infrastructure, benefiting EPYC demand. 

Adoption of EPYC by the largest cloud hyperscalers is increasing significantly. Apart from EPYC, AMD’s prospects are driven by strong demand for Instinct accelerators. The launch of the Instinct MI350 series that supports deployments powered by AMD CPUs, GPUs and NICs has strengthened AMD’s system-level capabilities. 

A rich partner base that includes the likes of OpenAI, HPE, Dell, Lenovo, Super Micro, AWS, Oracle, Cisco, IBM, Cohere, Vultr, DigitalOcean and others is driving AMD’s prospects. However, stiff competition from NVIDIA and Intel doesn’t bode well for AMD.

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

Thermo Fisher's shares have outperformed the Zacks Medical - Instruments industry over the past year (+12.4% vs. -0.6%). The company continues to strengthen its foundation by consistently advancing its growth strategy. Thermo Fisher’s latest round of innovations supports scientific breakthroughs, advances precision medicine and greater lab productivity for customers.

The company is embedding OpenAI’s capabilities into its products and services to make an even bigger impact for customers and enhance productivity. Strategic acquisitions, such as the newly added Solventum’s Purification and Filtration Business, further enhance its offerings. 

The Zacks model forecasts a 5.1% CAGR growth in the company’s revenues through 2025-2027. Meanwhile, a highly leveraged balance sheet poses liquidity concerns. Shifting U.S. policies have weighed on the academic and government end-market clients, affecting its sales. Currency woes add to the worry. 

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Moody's Corp. (MCO), Phillips 66 (PSX) and Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH).

Mark Vickery
Senior Editor

Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here>>>

Today's Must Read

Visa (V) Rides on Improving Top Line and Solid Balance Sheet

Strong Product Portfolio and Rich Partner Base Aid AMD's Prospects

Strategic M and A, End Market Strength Aids Thermo Fisher (TMO)

Featured Reports

Revenue Mix, Acquisitions to Aid Moody's (MCO), High Costs Ail
Per the Zacks analyst, acquisitions, diverse revenue mix and low-risk product portfolio will aid Moody's growth. Its inorganic growth efforts will likely keep expenses elevated, thus hurting profits.

Phillips 66's (PSX) Diversified Business Model Aids Growth
Per the Zacks analyst, Phillips 66's focus on multiple sectors, like refining and midstream, generates stable cash flows. Further, its EPIC NGL acquisition expands its footprint in the NGL sector.

Specialty and GMPD Demand Aids Cardinal Health (CAH) Amid Headwinds
Per the Zacks analyst, Cardinal Health is driving growth through specialty pharma, at-home care, and GMPD turnaround, offsetting contract expirations, rising costs and tariff exposure.

Mobile Solutions Unit Drives Donaldson (DCI), High Costs Ail
Per the Zacks analyst, Donaldson gains from strength in the Mobile Solutions unit, led by solid momentum in aftermarket and off-road businesses. However, high operating costs remain a woe.

Five Below (FIVE) Delivers Robust 23% Holiday Sales Growth
Per the Zacks analyst, Five Below's strong holiday sales show sharp merchandising and tighter customer engagement, prompting management to raise fiscal 2025 guidance.

Investment, Organic Growth Aid California Water Service (CWT)
Per the Zacks analyst, California Water's systematic investment to strengthen its infrastructure will assist in serving its rising customer base. Contribution from organic assets will act as tailwinds

Charles River (CRAI) Maintains Talent Edge but Faces Costs
Per the Zacks analyst, Charles River's success depends on talent. Its reputation comes from skilled professionals, but rising talent costs in a competitive market are hurting consulting firms.

New Upgrades

Ciena (CIEN) Rides on Momentum in Cloud and AI Solutions
Per the Zacks analyst, the rise of cloud and AI technologies has increased bandwidth requirements across global networks, thereby boosting demand for Ciena's solutions.

CF is Boosted by Fertilizer Demand and Pricing Strength
Per the Zacks analyst, CF benefits from the rising global demand for nitrogen fertilizers due to robust agricultural growth. Moreover, favorable pricing trends for nitrogen boost revenues.

Innovative Laser Portfolio Boosts IPG Photonics (IPGP) Prospects
Per the Zacks analyst, IPG Photonics is benefiting from innovations such as the CROSSBOW laser counter-UAV system and growth in medical applications, particularly urology.

New Downgrades

Merck (MRK) Faces Headwinds from Keytruda LOE and Gardasil China Sales
Per the Zacks analyst, Merck's headwinds include declining sales of Gardasil in China, Keytruda upcoming patent expiration in 2028 and declining estimates due to M and A costs.

Spending Ramp and Macro Volatility Create Near-Term Headwinds for WIX
Per the Zacks analyst, Wix is grappling with rising investments in product development, infrastructure and platforms. Further, macro volatility and stiff competition from peers remain concerns.

Shake Shack's (SHAK) Modest Sales Momentum Raises Near-Term Concerns
Per the Zacks analyst, food inflation, weather disruptions and modest traffic pressured Shake Shack's fiscal 2025 results, muting same-Shack sales and weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter revenues.

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

Zacks Investment Research