IAMGOLD and OneSpaWorld have been highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – March 3, 2026 – Zacks Equity Research shares IAMGOLD IAG as the Bull of the Day and OneSpaWorld OSW as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Mastercard Inc. MA, Visa Inc. V and PayPal Holdings, Inc. PYPL.

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks.

Bull of the Day:

There’s something about gold when the market starts to feel a little wobbly. Yields move. Geopolitics flare. Central banks start whispering about rate cuts. And suddenly, that shiny rock everyone forgot about becomes the belle of the ball. It should come as no surprise that gold mining stocks are some of the best performing ones out there. Only fitting today’s Bull of the Day comes from that industry.

Today’s Bull of the Day is IAMGOLD, a gold producer that looks poised to capitalize on one of the strongest macro tailwinds we’ve seen in years. IAMGOLD Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a gold producer and developer in Canada and Burkina Faso. The company's flagship project includes Côté Gold that covers an area of 596 hectares located in the Chester and Yeo Townships, district of sudbury, in northeastern Ontario.

Let’s start with the obvious: gold prices have been living in record territory. When real yields roll over and the dollar shows signs of fatigue, gold tends to stretch its legs. And unlike the speculative juniors, IAMGOLD actually produces the stuff.

With operating mines in the Americas and West Africa, and the high-profile Côté Gold project in Ontario ramping up, IAMGOLD is transitioning from “rebuild mode” to “cash flow mode.” That’s when the fun usually begins. When gold prices rise, margins expand fast. Mining has high fixed costs, so incremental price gains drop straight to the bottom line. That operating leverage is exactly what you want if you believe the gold move has legs.

Iamgold Corporation price-consensus-chart | Iamgold Corporation Quote

Analysts are on board and have increased estimates for the current year and next year. Over the last sixty days, the bullish moves have pushed up our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year from $1.65 to $2.15 while next year’s number is up from $1.34 to $1.99. That’s the reason for the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) rating on the stock.

IAMGOLD has spent the last few years restructuring, divesting non-core assets, and cleaning up the balance sheet. That groundwork matters. You don’t want a gold stock buried under debt when volatility spikes.

Now the narrative is shifting from “Can they execute?” to “How much cash can they generate?” That’s a big difference. Gold stocks are notoriously cyclical. You don’t marry them, you date them during the right part of the cycle. Right now, the combination of strong gold prices, expanding production and a cleaner balance sheet puts IAMGOLD in a sweet spot.

Bear of the Day:

There are certain stocks that look great when everything is perfect. Full cruise ships. Consumers flush with cash. Vacation budgets expanding. No macro hiccups. No geopolitical noise. No recession chatter. Unfortunately, sometimes reality shows up. And when it does, estimates move in the wrong direction.

Today’s Bear of the Day is Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) OneSpaWorld. OneSpaWorld operates spas and wellness centers aboard cruise ships and in destination resorts. It’s a “feel good” business tied directly to discretionary spending. And that’s exactly the problem.

Let’s break this down. Cruises are already discretionary. Spa treatments on cruises? That’s discretionary squared. When consumer confidence wobbles, when credit card balances rise, when households start prioritizing essentials over indulgences, premium add-ons like onboard spa services are some of the first things to get cut.

You don’t cancel your cruise vacation at the last minute. You absolutely skip the $300 massage. That’s operating leverage in the wrong direction.

OneSpaWorld’s revenue depends heavily on passenger spend per sailing. If occupancy softens or per-guest spending moderates even slightly, margins compress quickly. This isn’t a diversified hospitality empire. It’s a niche operator tied almost exclusively to cruise lines. That concentration risk becomes glaring when macro uncertainty increases. Add in labor cost pressure and the margin picture can deteriorate fast if pricing power fades.

OneSpaWorld Holdings Limited price-consensus-chart | OneSpaWorld Holdings Limited Quote

Over the last sixty days, three analysts have cut their earnings estimates for the current year while two have done so for next year. The bearish moves have dropped our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year from $1.15 to $1.11 while next year’s number is off from $1.29 to $1.27. Still, that does represent growth of 12% for the current year and 14% next year.

The Leisure and Recreation Services industry ranks in the Bottom 26% of our Zacks Industry Rank.   

Additional content:

Blockchain Meets Checkout: Mastercard Plays the Long Game

Mastercard Inc. is steadily reinforcing its role as the infrastructure layer of digital commerce and its latest partnership with MetaMask around the MetaMask Card underscores that strategy. With the U.S. launch now fully operational across the country, including in New York, this initiative represents another important move toward connecting self-custodied crypto assets with traditional payment systems.

The MetaMask Card allows users to spend directly from their wallets without preloading funds onto centralized exchanges. Assets remain in users’ control until the moment of transaction, when they are seamlessly converted for payment across MA’s global network of more than 150 million merchant locations. The launch also introduces a $199 per year Metal tier, offering up to 3% back in mUSD on the first $10,000 spent annually, while standard users can earn up to 1% in on-chain rewards.

For MA, this partnership reinforces its strategy of embedding itself deeper into the digital asset ecosystem without directly taking balance sheet crypto risk. By serving as the payment rail, the company captures transaction volume while supporting innovation at the wallet layer. It has steadily expanded crypto-linked cards and tokenization services in recent years, positioning itself as infrastructure rather than a speculator.

Additionally, the New York rollout is particularly significant. Regulatory clarity in key jurisdictions reduces friction and broadens the addressable user base. If adoption scales meaningfully, crypto-linked debit could drive incremental payment volume through MA’s network, supporting cross-border activity and higher-margin transactions.

How Are Competitors Faring?

Some of MA’s competitors in the value-added services space include Visa Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc.

Visa continues to expand its global digital payments footprint, leveraging tokenization, real-time settlement and partnerships with fintechs. V’s broad acceptance and scale support resilient revenue growth, though competitive pressures from alternative payment rails and regulatory scrutiny persist.

PayPal is deepening its checkout and wallet ecosystem while expanding crypto and buy now, pay later offerings. Despite slower user growth and margin pressures, PYPL’s strategic investments in Wallet and merchant solutions aim to sustain engagement and long-term transaction volume.

Mastercard’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

Over the past year, MA’s shares have declined 10.1% compared with the industry’s fall of 23.6%.

From a valuation standpoint, MA trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 26, above the industry average of 18.39. MA carries a Value Score of D.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Mastercard’s 2026 earnings implies 14% growth from the year-ago period.

Mastercard currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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