For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – June 1, 2026 – 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: Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. ADM, Casey's General Stores Inc. CASY, Nucor Corp. NUE, Ross Stores Inc. ROST and Imperial Oil Ltd. IMO.
Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:
Tap the Market Rally with These 5 Non-AI Stocks Surging Year-to-Date
Wall Street has been witnessing an astonishing rally since the beginning of 2023, barring some minor fluctuations. The prolonged rally has been primarily driven by the global artificial intelligence (AI) technology boom. Generative and agentic AI have transformed the entire landscape of the information technology sector worldwide.
A handful of non-AI stocks have also jumped year to date. Investment in these stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank should be fruitful in 2026. Five such non-AI stocks are: Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., Casey's General Stores Inc., Nucor Corp., Ross Stores Inc. and Imperial Oil Ltd..
Each of our picks currently carries either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.
Zacks Rank #2 Archer-Daniels-Midland is benefiting from a rebound in its Nutrition segment. Human Nutrition is gaining traction, with the Flavors portfolio benefiting from solid North American demand, international customer wins and improved margins from a favorable mix and disciplined pricing.
ADM continues to advance its Optimize, Drive and Grow pillars, enhancing productivity, accelerating cost savings, expanding BioSolutions and leveraging digital tools to unlock margin opportunities and strengthen customer reach.
ADM is actively managing productivity and innovation as well as aligning work to the interconnected trends in food security, health and wellbeing. The company is well-positioned for sustainable long-term profit growth across new avenues.
ADM has been creating additional margin opportunities, opening up channels to customers, advancing digital technologies in areas like farmer needs, the extension of Regen Act programs and partnerships, and the growth of its BioSolutions platform.
Archer-Daniels-Midland has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 6.5% and 32.4%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 5.3% over the last 30 days.
Casey's General Stores Inc.
Zacks Rank #2 Casey's General Stores shows strong growth momentum, supported by resilient inside sales, driven by prepared foods, beverages and high-margin grocery categories. Effective pricing, product innovation and a favorable product mix continue to enhance CASY's margins and customer traffic.
We anticipate the inside gross margin to expand 60 basis points year over year in fiscal 2026. CASY's fuel segment is outperforming industry trends, strengthening market share and profitability despite price fluctuations.
The Fikes/CEFCO acquisition is boosting scale, operational efficiency and long-term growth potential, supported by integration synergies. CASY's strong cash flow generation and stable financial position provide flexibility for investments, expansion, and shareholder returns, reinforcing confidence in its sustained growth trajectory and overall business strength.
Casey's General Stores has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 10.8% and 12.4%, respectively, for the current year (ending April 2027). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 1.5% over the last 30 days.
Nucor Corp.
Zacks Rank #1 Nucor is committed to expanding its production capabilities and growing its business through strategic acquisitions. NUE's efforts to boost production capacity through several growth projects should drive profitability. Nucor is also seeing strong momentum in non-residential construction.
NUE remains focused on achieving greater penetration in the automotive market. NUE is committed to maximizing returns to its shareholders by leveraging strong cash flows. Higher steel prices are also expected to support Nucor's margins. Steel mills' price hikes amid a recovery in demand in key markets and tighter supply have led to an uptick in steel prices.
Nucor has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 14% and 92.5%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 1.8% over the last seven days.
Ross Stores Inc.
Zacks Rank #2 Ross Stores has been benefiting from the strong execution of its off-price retail model. ROST continues to benefit from solid demand for value-driven merchandise, delivering 21% sales growth and 17% comps growth in first-quarter fiscal 2026, supported by effective merchandising and marketing initiatives.
ROST is also progressing well on store-expansion plans, with long-term growth potential across both banners, targeting 2,900 Ross Dress for Less and 700 dd's DISCOUNTS stores. For fiscal 2026, ROST expects comps growth of 6-7%, with earnings of $7.50-$7.74, up 13-17% year over year.
Solid financial flexibility, disciplined capital allocation and ongoing share repurchases highlight ROST's commitment to shareholder returns, underscoring a robust business for continued growth.
Ross Stores has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 8.2% and 15.6%, respectively, for the current year (ending January 2027). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 3.9% over the last seven days.
Imperial Oil Ltd.
Zacks Rank #1 Imperial Oil's integrated business model, spanning oil sands production, refining, petrochemicals and retail operations, provides stable earnings and lowers exposure to oil-price volatility. Backing from parent Exxon Mobil strengthens IMO's financial flexibility and access to low-cost capital.
IMO also maintains a growth pipeline, with expansion plans at Kearl and Cold Lake alongside projects like Mahihkan and Grand Rapids SA-SAGD that can increase production while improving recovery rates and lowering costs. Operating cash flow supports dividends and share repurchases, while IMO's downstream and renewable diesel operations enhance profitability during periods of strong fuel demand.
Imperial Oil has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 28.6% and 70.7%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 4.7% over the last seven days.
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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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Nucor Corporation (NUE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM): Free Stock Analysis Report
Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST): Free Stock Analysis Report
Imperial Oil Limited (IMO): Free Stock Analysis Report
Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).