Beat the Market the Zacks Way: Credo, Palantir, Oracle in Focus

Last Friday, the three most widely followed benchmark indexes closed a mixed week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average remained virtually unchanged. The S&P 500 declined 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite went up by 0.2%.

The week’s trading was heavily influenced by easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and shifting expectations around interest rates. Hopes of de-escalation between Israel and Iran helped lift equities after a midweek dip, while oil prices dropped from recent highs, signaling reduced immediate supply risks.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve held rates steady but hinted at two possible cuts later this year, providing some boost to investor sentiment. Global central bank actions added to the mixed tone, with surprises from the Swiss National Bank and Brazil’s broader risk appetite. Markets now await further clarity from the upcoming congressional testimony by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

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:

Avino Silver & Gold Mines and WISeKey Surge Following Zacks Rank Upgrade

Shares of Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. ASM have gained 78.1% (versus the S&P 500’s 15.6% increase) since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on April 22.

Another stock, WISeKey International Holding AG WKEY, which was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on April 24, has returned 61.3% (versus the S&P 500’s 10.9% increase) since then.

A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank # 1 (Strong Buy) stocks returned +6.51% in May 2025, which compares to +4.47% for the S&P 500 index and +4.12% for the equal-weight version of the index. This follows the Zacks Rank # 1 stocks’ +17.96% return in April vs. +15.04% for the S&P 500 index.

This hypothetical portfolio has returned -2.59% in 2025 (through June 2^nd) vs. -1.12% for the S&P 500 index and -4.41% for the equal-weight version of the 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 June 2^nd, 2025, the Zacks # 1 Rank stocks generated an annualized average return of +23.5% vs. +11% for the S&P 500 index).

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

Check Avino Silver’s historical EPS and Sales here>>>

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

Zacks Recommendation Upgrades Silence Therapeutics and Oddity Tech

Shares of Silence Therapeutics plc SLN and Oddity Tech Ltd. ODD have surged 77.1% (versus the S&P 500’s 7.9% rise) and 12.3% (versus the S&P 500’s 6.3% rise), since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on April 28 and May 2, respectively.

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 Palantir, Axon Shoot Up

Shares of Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have gained 51% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on March 26, 2024. Another Focus-List holding, Axon Enterprise, Inc. AXON, which was added to the portfolio on June 3, 2020, has returned 38.8% over the past 12 weeks. The S&P 500 has advanced 5.3% over this period. 

The 50-stock Focus List portfolio returned +6.33% in April 2025 vs. +6.29% for the S&P 500 index and -5.01% for the equal-weight version of the index.

Year to date, the Focus List portfolio has returned +2.90% (through May 31^st, 2025) vs. +1.07% for the S&P 500 index and -7.74% 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 10-year periods. These annualized return comparisons are: +15.39% for the Focus List vs. +13.54% for the index over the one-year period, +16.56% vs. +14.41% over the 3-year period, +17.01% vs. +15.94% over the 5-year period, and +13.12% vs. +12.86% over the 10-year period.

Since 2004, the Focus List portfolio has produced an annualized return of +11.60% (through the end of May 2025). This compares to a +10.22% annualized return for the S&P 500 index and +9.41% for the equal-weight version of the index in the same time period.

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 Oracle & Walmart Make Significant Gains

Oracle Corporation ORCL, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), has jumped 34.8% over the past 12 weeks. Walmart Inc. WMT has followed Oracle with 11.8% returns.

The Zacks Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), which consists of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy-and-Hold stocks, returned +3.20% in the first quarter of 2025 vs. the S&P 500 index’s -4.30% decline (SPY ETF).

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 Automatic Data and Intercontinental Exchange Outperform Peers

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 3.7% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. ICE, has climbed 2.3% 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 Automatic Data’s dividend history here>>>

Check Intercontinental'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 +5.74% in 2025 Q1 vs. the S&P 500 index’s -2.41% pullback and the Dividend Aristocrats ETF’s (NOBL) +3.11% return.

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 Credo Technology Delivers Solid Returns

Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd CRDO, from the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025, has jumped 27.2% year to date compared with the S&P 500 Index’s 1.4% increase.

The Top 10 portfolio returned -7.88% this year (through the end of April 2025) vs. -4.92% for the S&P 500 index and -2.88% 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 +1832.3% through the end of April 2025 vs. +434.2% for the S&P 500 index and +338.6% for the equal-weight version of the index. The portfolio has produced an average return of +24.3% in the period 2012 through April 30, 2025, vs. +11.6% for the S&P 500 index and +9.58% 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