The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Costco Wholesale, Roche, Lam Research, Spruce Power and IDT

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – February 25, 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: Costco Wholesale Corp. COST, Roche Holding AG RHHBY, Lam Research Corp. LRCX, Spruce Power Holding Corp. SPRU and IDT Corp. IDT.

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Stock Reports for Costco, Roche 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 Costco Wholesale Corp., Roche Holding AG and Lam Research Corp., as well as two micro-cap stocks Spruce Power Holding Corp. and IDT Corp.. The Zacks microcap research is unique as our research content on these small and under-the-radar companies is the only research of its type in the country.

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 >>>

Ahead of Wall Street

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 Begin to Climb Out of Their Monday Hole

Today's Featured Research Reports

Shares of Costco have gained +5.2% over the past six months against the Zacks Retail - Discount Stores industry's gain of +12.5%. Being a consumer defensive stock, the company has survived the market turmoil pretty well, supported by its resilient membership model, disciplined pricing, and operational excellence.

Costco's decent renewal rates and expanding member base reinforce its dependable recurring revenue stream, while the Kirkland Signature brand continues to drive margin strength. Robust e-commerce momentum and growing adoption of digital fulfillment services enhance Costco's omnichannel reach, driving traffic.

Management's proactive sourcing diversification and supply-chain efficiency further help offset tariff and input-cost pressures without compromising its price leadership. With strong cash flow generation, balance-sheet flexibility, and a proven ability to execute through economic cycles, Costco remains well-positioned to deliver earnings growth.

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

Roche's shares have outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past six months (+49.5% vs. +27.8%). The company's underlying operational performance remained solid. Strong growth from key products helped offset declining revenues from legacy drugs. The stellar performances of multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus and ophthalmology drug Vabysmo continue to drive momentum for Roche.

Growth in hemophilia treatment Hemlibra and breast cancer drug Phesgo also boosted the top line. Roche is looking to diversify its portfolio through acquisitions and collaborations in the wake of declining sales from legacy drugs (Avastin, Herceptin, MabThera and Actemra) due to competition from biosimilars.

However, pipeline setbacks weigh on the stock. The company's performance in the recently reported 2025 results was weighed down by unfavorable foreign-exchange movements, as weakness in the U.S. dollar adversely impacted international sales.

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

Shares of Lam Research have outperformed the Zacks Electronics - Semiconductors industry over the past six months (+140.9% vs. +25.5%). The company is riding on its strength across 3D DRAM and advanced packaging technologies. Growing etch and deposition intensity owing to increasing technology inflections in 3D architectures is a plus.

A rebound in the System business due to improving memory spending is an upside. Strategic investments in research and development activities position it well to capitalize on the growing wafer fab equipment (WFE) spending. Foundry/logic, DRAM and NAND investments are expected to be higher year over year. Solid demand related to high-bandwidth memory is an upside.

However, global spending on mature nodes is likely to remain soft in the near term. Growing trade and tariff tensions between the United States and China are a concern.

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

Spruce Power's shares have outperformed the Zacks Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry over the past six months (+195.8% vs. +35.3%). This microcap company with market capitalization of $75.58 million offers stable, recurring revenues from 85,000 residential solar systems under long-term contracts, with more than 10 years of average life, yielding $30.7 million in third-quarter 2025 revenues (+44% YoY) and $26.2 million in operating EBITDA. The company's capital-light SREC monetization adds high-margin growth, including a $10 million hedged deal through 2029.

Spruce's scalable model avoids costly installations, leveraging acquisitions and the in-house Spruce PRO platform to expand profitably. Recent cost cuts aim to save $20 million annually. A disciplined M&A strategy has added 67,000+ systems since 2018.

However, refinancing risk looms over a $184 million facility due in April 2026, raising going concern doubts. High leverage and thin equity limit flexibility. Legal liabilities and customer concentration add further risks. Valuation appears modest at 4.12X EV/sales.

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

Shares of IDT have underperformed the Zacks Diversified Communication Services industry over the past six months (-21% vs. +5.2%). This microcap company with market capitalization of $1.23 million, is facing risks which include remittance working-capital volatility, ad softness at NRS, fee-rate pressure, churn/capital intensity, regulatory uncertainty and legacy erosion.

The valuation suggests limited downside and potential multiple expansion, offering investors upside if higher-margin growth segments continue scaling and improving consolidated profitability. Nevertheless, IDT's mix is shifting toward higher-margin growth engines. NRS is scaling a recurring, payments-led retail model with 22% revenue growth and 35% operating income expansion.

BOSS Money's digital mix (84% of transactions) is driving 160 bps margin expansion and 97% operating income growth despite modest fee pressure. net2phone is leveraging AI and bundled vertical solutions to lift ARPU and profitability. Legacy Communications remains a stable cash generator funding growth.

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

Free: Instant Access to Zacks' Market-Crushing Strategies

Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.

Today you can tap into those powerful strategies – and the high-potential stocks they uncover – free. No strings attached.

Get all the details here >>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com                                      

https://www.zacks.com                                                 

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.

Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock

This under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.

With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

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

Zacks Investment Research