Latest news with #Consensus
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is HudBay Minerals (HBM) a Solid Growth Stock? 3 Reasons to Think "Yes"
Investors seek growth stocks to capitalize on above-average growth in financials that help these securities grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. But finding a great growth stock is not easy at all. By their very nature, these stocks carry above-average risk and volatility. Moreover, if a company's growth story is over or nearing its end, betting on it could lead to significant loss. However, the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects, makes it pretty easy to find cutting-edge growth stocks. HudBay Minerals (HBM) is on the list of such stocks currently recommended by our proprietary system. In addition to a favorable Growth Score, it carries a top Zacks Rank. Research shows that stocks carrying the best growth features consistently beat the market. And returns are even better for stocks that possess the combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). Here are three of the most important factors that make the stock of this mining company a great growth pick right now. Earnings growth is arguably the most important factor, as stocks exhibiting exceptionally surging profit levels tend to attract the attention of most investors. For growth investors, double-digit earnings growth is highly preferable, as it is often perceived as an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration. While the historical EPS growth rate for HudBay Minerals is 40.5%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 41.4% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 41.2%. Cash is the lifeblood of any business, but higher-than-average cash flow growth is more beneficial and important for growth-oriented companies than for mature companies. That's because, high cash accumulation enables these companies to undertake new projects without raising expensive outside funds. Right now, year-over-year cash flow growth for HudBay Minerals is 38.7%, which is higher than many of its peers. In fact, the rate compares to the industry average of -1.8%. While investors should actually consider the current cash flow growth, it's worth taking a look at the historical rate too for putting the current reading into proper perspective. The company's annualized cash flow growth rate has been 20.7% over the past 3-5 years versus the industry average of 6.8%. Beyond the metrics outlined above, investors should consider the trend in earnings estimate revisions. A positive trend is a plus here. Empirical research shows that there is a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. The current-year earnings estimates for HudBay Minerals have been revising upward. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has surged 2.7% over the past month. While the overall earnings estimate revisions have made HudBay Minerals a Zacks Rank #1 stock, it has earned itself a Growth Score of B based on a number of factors, including the ones discussed above. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. This combination positions HudBay Minerals well for outperformance, so growth investors may want to bet on it. 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 HudBay Minerals Inc (HBM) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Upwork or Fiverr? Picking the Winner in the Freelance Race
The freelance economy is evolving fast, and two platforms — Upwork Inc. UPWK and Fiverr International FVRR — are leading the charge. Both companies are moving beyond their marketplace roots, leaning into AI, services and enterprise clients to drive growth in a shifting macro environment. But their paths and strategies differ in meaningful ways. Fiverr is building out high-margin services and AI tools to enhance seller performance and move upmarket, while Upwork is positioning itself as an AI-first platform serving enterprise clients and capturing demand for AI talent. Over the past three months, Upwork shares have moved up 4.4%, underperforming Fiverr. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research As both stocks look to redefine their roles in the future of work, let's find out which one is better placed to deliver long-term value. Upwork kicked off 2025 on a strong note, delivering record first-quarter revenues were up just 1% year over year to $193 million, UPWK reported record-high adjusted EBITDA of $56 million and a healthy margin of 29%. Net income reached $37.7 million — another quarterly best for the services volume per active client rose year over year for the first time in six quarters and climbed for the third straight quarter. Product enhancements, including better search recommendations and customer experience updates, helped drive marketplace outperformance. Upwork is making a bold shift to become an AI-native platform, and leading that effort is Uma, its in-house 'Mindful AI.' Uma helps users save time by writing proposals, screening candidates and simplifying hiring, and its working engagement with Uma jumped 52% in the last reported quarter, with proposal-writing usage up 58%. These tools are already improving hiring rates, conversions and freelancer earnings. To strengthen its AI edge, Upwork is combining internal innovation with smart acquisitions like Headroom and Objective AI. Another advantage is Upwork's access to talent. As businesses rush to adopt AI, many are hitting a wall — 63% of employers say they lack skilled people. Upwork fills that gap, offering access to more than 80,000 AI specialists. Freelancers on the platform are already working on real-world projects — training AI for social media giants, building healthcare tools and helping law firms automate legal workflows. For investors, this growing role in the AI ecosystem positions Upwork not just as a job marketplace but as a key enabler of the next wave of digital transformation. The company remains committed to returning value to shareholders. In the first quarter of 2025, it repurchased $2.3 million worth of shares. As of the quarter-end, $67 million remained under its existing share repurchase authorization. For the full year, the company reaffirmed its revenue target of $740-$760 million but raised its adjusted EBITDA guidance to $190-$200 million and EPS forecast to $1.14-$1.18. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UPWK's 2025 and 2026 EPS implies year-over-year growth of 9.6% and 16.7%, respectively. See how the estimates have been revised over the past 90 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Fiverr's first-quarter 2025 revenues rose 15% year over year to $107.2 million, while the adjusted EBITDA margin widened to 18%. Management expects full-year revenues at $425-$438 million (up 9-12% year over year). Adjusted EBITDA margins are anticipated to hit 20% in 2025, with long-term goals of achieving 25% by 2027. Adding to investors' confidence, the board has authorized $100 million for share buybacks. Looking at the revenue mix, the classic marketplace revenue slipped 0.8% to $77.7 million, which is a bit concerning. Beyond marketplace transaction fees, Fiverr has been aggressively building out its service revenues, which include offerings like Fiverr Ads, Seller Plus and AutoDS. This segment grew a whopping 94% year over year in the first quarter to $29.5 million, representing 27.5% of total revenues. Management expects it to cross 30% for the full year. The company is steadily moving beyond its roots as a gig marketplace, evolving into a full-service work platform tailored to larger clients and powered by smarter tools. Central to this transformation are Fiverr Pro, which is helping the company move upmarket and win larger enterprise clients, and Fiverr Go, its new AI-powered tool designed to enhance buyer-seller interactions and drive higher conversions. With features such as Dynamic Matching, Project Management and dedicated Customer Success Managers, Fiverr Pro is expanding the addressable market. The payoff is real — a global book publisher scaled from a $15,000 trial to a $200,000 contract, and a large e-learning firm shifted its entire YouTube workflow to Fiverr after beating agency turnaround times and costs. The other growth engine is Fiverr Go, a generative-AI layer that turns every seller profile into a round-the-clock digital assistant. More than 6,000 top freelancers have activated the tool, and 200,000 buyers have tried it. Sellers who enabled the AI-powered 'Personal Assistant' saw an immediate 56% increase in one-hour conversion rates and a 10% boost over a 14-day period. All in all, Fiverr is gradually shifting from a gig marketplace to a more full-featured work platform, with a growing emphasis on services, enterprise use cases and AI tools. While execution risks remain, the company's evolving model could support more sustainable growth over time. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FVRR implies EPS growth of 18.5% in 2025, although growth is expected to flatten in 2026. See how the estimates have been revised over the past 90 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Both Fiverr and Upwork are shaking up the freelance world, but Upwork looks like the smarter bet today. Upwork isn't just embracing AI — it's building an AI-native platform. From Uma, its in-house assistant, to acquisitions like Headroom and Objective AI, it's positioning itself at the center of enterprise AI transformation. Its access to 80,000+ AI specialists further strengthens its value proposition as businesses rush to close the talent gap. Fiverr has momentum, particularly in high-margin services and enterprise traction. But its shift upmarket has come at the cost of a shrinking active buyer base, raising concerns about GMV growth and long-term engagement. Competition is intensifying, and Fiverr's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) reflects the need for more proof of durable progress. Fiverr is worth watching, but Upwork's AI focus, operational strength and upward EPS revisions make it the more compelling choice for investors. UPWK stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. 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 Upwork Inc. (UPWK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fiverr International (FVRR) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Zawya
16 hours ago
- Science
- Zawya
AI: A game-changer for researchers and innovators
Scientific research, in all fields, is vitally important for finding answers to solutions and for living on this planet a better experience. While research is an intellectually rewarding experience, it can sometimes be a tedious and time-consuming process. AI has many applications that can provide assistance to researchers, in all fields, and at all stages of the research process, from identifying research gaps to preparing the slides for presentations. This article will discuss some of these research-oriented applications. One of these AI applications is Consensus, which helps in the literature review as it offers quick answers to research-related questions by reviewing existing relevant studies and articles and drafting research outlines. A similar tool is Elicit, which serves the same purpose, but is a more comprehensive and advanced application. Another research assistant is NotebookLM, which helps with immediate summarisation and note-taking. It also serves as a personalised assistant, allowing users to upload their own sources and ask questions to receive simple explanations. Johnson (2024) states, 'Within seconds, NotebookLM becomes a virtual research assistant, capable of answering questions or tracking down references based entirely on the source materials you've supplied.' The most well-known AI-powered tool is ChatGPT. It is a significant tool for researchers since it is used for many purposes, such as drafting and editing academic writings, scanning and summarising articles, and responding to different questions that researchers ask for. Another application is Gemini, which is great for multi-modal processing, real-time research, analysing articles and academic papers, and could be used for scripting too. The Visily application is also helpful in data analysis and helps users prototype digital tools and present visual ideas (AI tools); researchers may also use it for quick and creative designs. Another very useful tool is Research Rabbit, in which researchers can discover various research papers and find connections between different authors and their works. James Cook University maintains that Research Rabbit is a 'citation-based literature mapping tool,' which also helps in organising the collections of papers based on the researchers' interests. All the aforementioned applications are useful throughout the whole research process, starting from planning to writing and data analysis. A single researcher might take months to find and analyse data, whereas, with the help of AI, these tasks could be performed in a short time frame. AI can discover relationships that may not be immediately obvious to the human mind and can help researchers draw more penetrating and impactful conclusions. With the combination of both, the human mind and AI, a researcher can come up with more creative and innovative outcomes. 2022 © All right reserved for Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Observer
a day ago
- Science
- Observer
AI: A game-changer for researchers and innovators
Scientific research, in all fields, is vitally important for finding answers to solutions and for living on this planet a better experience. While research is an intellectually rewarding experience, it can sometimes be a tedious and time-consuming process. AI has many applications that can provide assistance to researchers, in all fields, and at all stages of the research process, from identifying research gaps to preparing the slides for presentations. This article will discuss some of these research-oriented applications. One of these AI applications is Consensus, which helps in the literature review as it offers quick answers to research-related questions by reviewing existing relevant studies and articles and drafting research outlines. A similar tool is Elicit, which serves the same purpose, but is a more comprehensive and advanced application. Another research assistant is NotebookLM, which helps with immediate summarisation and note-taking. It also serves as a personalised assistant, allowing users to upload their own sources and ask questions to receive simple explanations. Johnson (2024) states, 'Within seconds, NotebookLM becomes a virtual research assistant, capable of answering questions or tracking down references based entirely on the source materials you've supplied.' The most well-known AI-powered tool is ChatGPT. It is a significant tool for researchers since it is used for many purposes, such as drafting and editing academic writings, scanning and summarising articles, and responding to different questions that researchers ask for. Another application is Gemini, which is great for multi-modal processing, real-time research, analysing articles and academic papers, and could be used for scripting too. The Visily application is also helpful in data analysis and helps users prototype digital tools and present visual ideas (AI tools); researchers may also use it for quick and creative designs. Another very useful tool is Research Rabbit, in which researchers can discover various research papers and find connections between different authors and their works. James Cook University maintains that Research Rabbit is a 'citation-based literature mapping tool,' which also helps in organising the collections of papers based on the researchers' interests. All the aforementioned applications are useful throughout the whole research process, starting from planning to writing and data analysis. A single researcher might take months to find and analyse data, whereas, with the help of AI, these tasks could be performed in a short time frame. AI can discover relationships that may not be immediately obvious to the human mind and can help researchers draw more penetrating and impactful conclusions. With the combination of both, the human mind and AI, a researcher can come up with more creative and innovative outcomes.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Marsh & McLennan to Acquire Validate Health to Expand Healthcare Reach
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.'s MMC business unit, Oliver Wyman, the global management consulting firm, recently announced its plans to buy Validate Health, a healthcare analytics company that offers value-based care solutions. This agreement is expected to be completed by summer 2025. This acquisition aims to enhance Oliver Wyman's actuarial skills and offer healthcare providers and Accountable Care Organizations more powerful, data-driven tools. The deal increases the business' capabilities with advanced analytics and technology solutions, enabling clients to broaden their market reach, improve profitability, optimize programs, manage risks, secure investments and funding, and improve patient outcomes. This marks an example of how consulting firms are expanding into technology-enabled services in addition to traditional advisory roles. As the healthcare industry prioritizes value over volume, Oliver Wyman can now provide a more integrated approach by combining consulting expertise with actionable analytics. This integration will play a vital role in the future. If executed well and everything goes smoothly, it may establish a new benchmark for the intersection of consulting and data in the healthcare industry. In the first quarter of 2025, the Oliver Wyman unit reported revenue growth of 4% year over year to $818 million. MMC has been actively involved in strategic acquisitions, new product launches and diversification into emerging markets. Some of the notable recent acquisitions include Arthur Hall Insurance, AmeriStar and the $7.75 billion deal of McGriff Insurance Services. In the year-to-date period, Marsh & McLennan shares have gained 1.8% compared with the industry's growth of 4.1%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research MMC currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader finance space are Pagaya Technologies Ltd. PGY, Heritage Insurance Holdings Inc. HRTG and Acadian Asset Management Inc. AAMI, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Pagaya Technologies' current-year earnings of $2.45 per share has witnessed two upward revisions in the past 60 days against none in the opposite direction. Pagaya Technologies beat earnings estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed twice, with the average surprise being 12.9%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $1.2 billion, implying 19.9% year-over-year growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Heritage Insurance's current-year earnings of $3.25 per share has witnessed two upward revisions in the past 60 days against no movement in the opposite direction. Heritage Insurance beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 363.2%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $854.9 million, calling for 4.6% year-over-year growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Acadian Asset Management's current-year earnings is pegged at $2.86 per share, implying 3.6% year-over-year growth. In the past 60 days, Acadian Asset Management has witnessed one upward estimate revision against none in the opposite direction. The consensus mark for the current-year revenues is pegged at $526.8 million, calling for 4.2% year-over-year growth. 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 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc. (HRTG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pagaya Technologies Ltd. (PGY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Acadian Asset Management Inc. (AAMI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
